Ashes
by Riverlightillusion
Summary: I just wanted to go on a journey. That's all: to leave this dead-end orphanage in Cyllage City and travel around Kalos with Pokemon. I finally got my chance through sheer luck, but now I'm involved in something. Something big. Who is that woman? What do my nightmares mean? How am I connected to Flare?
1. Chapter 1: Dawn

**Ashes**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I wish I did...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

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><p>My skin burned.<p>

Inside the house, a beam crashed to the ground, but my deafened, ringing ears barely even registered the noise.

I struggled to move, to back away from the wood of that door that hissing and popping with heat. A small cloud of sparks blasted out of the screaming wood in front of my eyes, but I couldn't escape the arm that was holding me tightly.

I saw a man run toward the door. He started pounding it with both his arms, but even weakened by the flame it held and kept him inside.

Something wet hit the top of my head. I looked up to see the face of the girl who was holding me. She seemed impossibly tall and far away, somehow keeping me in place with one arm. The shiny trails of tears that had boiled away glowed in the fire's light. She held her chin high, defiantly, so that I couldn't see her eyes.

A shower of falling debris hit the man, lighting the stains on his shirt. The girl put her other hand over my eyes so that I couldn't see as the screaming started.

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><p>I opened my eyes.<p>

The sound of someone panting had woken me up. There was no fire, only the darkness of another early morning with no power and the dim hope of another sun about to rise. I realized that I was the one panting. As a replacement for our alarm that never worked, though, I guess it was better than the little kids' crying.

That dream again. I was getting sick of it.

I gave up on sleeping and climbed down from the top bunk, trying to make no noise. It was easier now than it had been last year, when I was 15 and tripping every few feet, not used to my growing body.

I started getting dressed quietly, trying not to wake my roommate Matthew. I looked at the school uniform in my hands, second hand, worn thin in the shoulders. Some rich boy's mom had donated it. I bet she felt really good about herself after she did it, and he had so many clothes that he didn't even notice.

I walked softly into the kitchen, where Madam Amedee was already busy cooking breakfast, her stained and patched apron tied around her waist.

She looked at me, concerned, "Are you having the dreams again?"

"I just couldn't sleep," I lied, not wanting her to worry.

She didn't look convinced, but she left it alone. I helped her finish, hoping there would be enough for everybody this morning. If not, then I would let the little ones eat and just wait until lunch at school.

Something small and warm brushed past my leg. I crouched down and ruffed the fur on Litleo's head. I think he was Madam Amedee's Pokemon but I didn't really know. All of us loved him. I remember many days in the cold winter, when the snow was heavy outside and the heater was broken. All of us would try to cluster around the little Pokemon and hold our hands out, thankful for the warmth.

I sat down on a chair and watched the gray square of light from the window above me as it slowly became brighter and glowed with the bitter, orange morning light. Soon the little kids started waking up. I watched them pour into the room, grabbing their bowls from the shelves and going to Madam Amedee for their serving of breakfast. They were still in the ages when foster parents would still want them. Once they turned twelve though, the young couples would just look past them, wanting a little child who they could raise like their own. I didn't care that I would never be adopted. Six years meant a lot to foster parents, and a sixteen-year old was nothing like a ten-year-old. Besides, I was only two years away from graduating, and then I would somehow scrape together scholarship money and part-time jobs to get myself through college. Maybe.

There was enough left, so I ate a small breakfast and then walked to school with Matthew. I left the Wards of State Home quickly, in a hurry to get to school.

Grant, the Gym Leader, who was taking his morning run, waved to us as he passed. He was running the bike trail that went all the way around the city, reaching from the shore to his gym.

At school, Matthew and I went in opposite directions, trying to find our own friend groups before the bell rang. He was friends with the intellectual people. He fit in well there, too, as he studied every day, trying to get a scholarship for college so he wouldn't need to depend on Kalos's welfare system.

My friends were just a group of average guys. Most of us could succeed at something, maybe sports, grades, or popularity, if we really tried, but we were content just to be decent. I actually did succeed at grades because I wanted a scholarship that badly, but I kept it secret.

The bell rang and I went to my biology class.

Halfway through the class, the teacher was lecturing about some kind of cell in the human heart and noticed only Liz really seemed to be taking notes or paying full attention.

After she confiscated somebody's Holo Caster for using it in class, the teacher decided it was time to get the class involved by asking questions and I was the first victim.

"Wes! What is the function of pacemaker cells?" asked the teacher with too much fake enthusiasm.

I was a little distracted. Some rich girl had been on her Holo Caster in class. There was no way that the teacher wouldn't notice something that projected images directly into the air. Why did she think she could get away with it? Because she was wealthy? Rich people are all like that. They think they can break the rules just because their daddy has money...

"Wes!"

I quickly looked at the diagram on the board. "They, um, signal the heart to beat."

"Good. Those signals take the form of electrical impulses. Next! Where are the cells located in the heart?" she asked, and then noticed with no surprise that no one volunteered except Liz.

"The right atrium," said Liz happily, curling her hair around her finger while she took notes.

She was right as usual. She really liked learning and was always happy when she was answering questions. She made great grades and had an annoying habit of telling people more than they wanted to know about whatever they were doing. I liked her though. I knew she was just trying to help, and honestly her corrections and advice were really useful. Besides, she was really attractive. That always helps.

"Since all of you seem so involved in the lesson," commented the annoyed teacher, "I think I will talk about something more interesting. Electric Pokemon!"

I looked up and started paying full attention.

"Some of these Pokemon are capable of generating fields of electricity around their body and directing it at their opponents in what looks like bolts of lightning. They can do this thanks to pacemaker cells that regulate the electrical energy. The pacemaker cells dictate the release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. This chemical then charges other cells in their electrical organs like living batteries. The accumulated charge is then directionally discharged. The pacemaker cells ensure that the proper amount of energy is released. This is crucial for their electric type moves. After all, you wouldn't want a Pokemon using Charge Beam when you called for Shock Wave."

"What about those Pokemon that can call down thunderbolts? Is it those cells too, or are they controlling the weather?" Embarrassingly, I asked that question. But the topic of Pokemon always interested me.

"Scientists are still studying how exactly that works. However, the research has uncovered nothing much. Maybe one of you will be the Biologist who solves that mystery. But just remember, we can do no invasive tests on Pokemon. They are, after all, sentient beings too."

Soon, the bell rang and freed us to go to lunch. The day was more than halfway over. That didn't mean much- after all, it would just start all over tomorrow. But it made me feel better.

I talked to some of my friends at lunch. There was a formal dance coming up and we talked about who we would ask to go with us. I would probably ask Alice. I had a huge crush on her and knew that she would probably say yes.

"I'll ask her after school," I said.

"Good luck, man," said Benjamin. He had talked about asking someone himself but he probably wouldn't. He always got really nervous about things like this.

My last few classes eventually passed and I found Alice outside the locker hall.

"Hey," I said, keeping my voice casual.

"Hi Wes," she said, with a heart-melting smile.

"Um, Alice, will you go to the dance with me?" I asked. It's a good thing that it didn't cost anything to get into out school's dances, because, as a Ward of State, I had no money.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, sounding genuinely sorry, "I'd love to, but Dominic already asked me and I said I'd go with him."

Dominic. That rich guy. His father owned one of the largest corporations in the nation, so he had everything he could ever want. I can't stand people like him.

"I really am sorry," she said, noticing my angry look.

"It's okay," I said, "Have fun!"

"See you there," she said with a smile and then walked away quickly.

I walked off to basketball practice with my eyes narrowed. I calmed down during practice, though. After practice, I took a shower, changed and walked home.

Along the way, I saw a trainer and her Pokemon practicing moves on the beach.

"Go! Brick Break!" she called. Her Pokemon obeyed and I heard the sound of smashing rock. "Great job! We'll beat Grant next time. And then we'll be one step closer to the Kalos League! Brick Break again!"

She was obviously on a journey with her Pokemon, and it looked like her goal was to win the League, the annual Tournament held in Kalos. Only those who had collected eight badges could enter, and the top four finalists had the honor of challenging the elite four and champion, the region's strongest trainers. I watched the League every year on TV, usually going over to somebody's house where the TV actually had power.

Honestly, I had always wanted to go on a journey with Pokemon. I wished I could go, travel around the region, befriend and battle with strange Pokemon, camp out under the stars, visit the famous sites, face off against the Gym Leaders, and maybe even enter the Kalos League.

The problem is money. Pokeballs and food aren't cheap. My Pokemon also would need healing after battles, and the rates at Pokemon centers, even though they're really low for quality medical care, are more than I can afford.

A registration for the Kalos League would solve all of that, giving me a trainer card that would let me access the Pokemon Center's facilities, including the nurse and the cafeteria, for free. Unfortunately, buying one of those wasn't cheap either.

I've heard that in some regions like Kanto, every ten year old child is sent on their own journey. That honestly sounds crazy to me, and it's not the way people do it in Kalos. Here, some people go on journeys. There aren't any hard and fast rules on how to do it. The journeys just involve people traveling around with Pokemon. Some challenged the Gyms and the league, some trained for the battle Maison, and some just explored the region and saw what it had to offer. Actually, a lot of tourists came to Kalos just for that reason.

I wanted to travel around the region as a teenager, though, like they do in Unova. There young people take journeys and form friendships with Pokemon and other people and find out what they want to do with their life.

I had finished my walk home, lost in thought and not really paying attention. I helped Madam Amedee make dinner for the little ones and then ate some myself.

I had a test tomorrow, but I could study later. I fell asleep.

Luckily, I didn't have dreams that night, or if I did, I couldn't remember them. It was a nice relief.

I woke up the next day and studied a little for my test while Madam Amedee prepared breakfast for the little ones.

My day passed quickly. Soon basketball was over too.

I was walking home and the hot evening sea wind blew in my face. As I walked, I saw a strange man in a brown trench coat. He clutched a cardboard box under his arm. The wind was blowing his messy hair everywhere. He gave off a disheveled feeling, like he had just woken up, but his voice was clear and honest.

"Hey!" the man called out to me, "Can you help me with something?"

"What's wrong?" I asked. Even though this was really a safe city, I still looked him over suspiciously. I decided to trust him and listen to what he had to say. In another city, like Laverre, trusting a stranger would be a stupid thing to do, but here in Cyllage, it was probably safe.

"I need to deliver this passage, but I have a meeting to attend! I can't miss it!"

"So," I prompted, wanting him to continue.

"I'm going to be late," he said. "Will you deliver this package for me? I'll pay you. I'm desperate here."

"No problem. I'll do it," I said. I loved getting paid, like my summer jobs. It was a time that I didn't have to take charity, and I would never say no to any odd job.

"My meeting will be over in an hour or so," he said, "How long do you think it will take you to deliver that package?"

I looked at the address on the box. It was at the far side of town. "Probably about an hour," I said.

"Good," he said, "Meet me here when you're finished and I'll pay you"

He hurried away, running off toward whatever meeting people can attend looking like that.

I walked at a normal pace, trying to find a way to carry the box that wasn't awkward. The package wasn't heavy, but it was big and got in the way. On the simple cardboard top was the address of warehouse and the word Solfanaria. I had no idea what Solfanaria meant, and it ultimately didn't matter. The warehouse was a fair distance away. It would probably take me a half-hour to walk there.

On my way there, I passed the sign that proclaimed our city, "Cyllage City, City of Peaceful Strolls". The sign was in front of the bike trail that wound its way all around the city and next to the cliff that was a popular climbing spot with the girls because Grant would sometimes climb it shirtless. I can't really say Cyllage City was actually a place for peaceful strolls, but it was great for anything athletic.

I finally arrived at the warehouse, which was on the side of town farthest from the sea. It was a big place that looked abandoned and forgotten. The doors had been green a long time ago, but now were only the color of rust. Only a few of the windows were still intact, with the rest smashed open, letting in the wind.

I set the box down quickly and walked away. It didn't really matter how run-down the warehouse was. I had made a deal and done my part. And soon, unless the man didn't come back and tried to cheat me, I would be paid.

I walked back to the beach as the sun touched down over the calm water. The man was there and waiting for me.

"Did you deliver it?" the man asked, "Was there any trouble?"

"I did it. The package is at the address you gave me." Any trouble? What was he worried about?

"Thank you," he said, with little enthusiasm. He looked up at me apologetically, "I don't have any money with me right now. Will you take this instead?"

He found something in the pocket of his trench coat and showed it to me. It was a small sphere divided in half. The white portion looked deep orange in the setting sun.

"A Pokeball?" I asked. Pokeballs were really valuable, and I would love to get my hands on one.

"That's not all," he said. He clicked the ball open in his hand and a Pokemon's shadowy body slipped out of the soft glow it created.

"Bagon," the man named, "I think he'd be happier with you."

I looked at the Bagon in front of me. A scar ran down the left side of his face, marking the hard plates on the top of his head, tracing across his eyelid, and ending on his cheek. He snarled at me, trying to look ferocious, but fear and sadness lingered in his eyes.

"So…" the man prompted.

"Sure," I answered, with the happiness of receiving my own Pokemon temporarily overshadowing any concerns like how to feed or take care of him.

Bagon roared at me and then shivered. I was completely fixated on the small Dragon type.

The man left. I didn't notice.


	2. Chapter 2: Fangs

Chapter 2

Bagon roared at me.

The small Dragon Pokemon was standing on the beach in front of me, and I was crouching down to look him in the eyes. Our silhouettes were framed black over the ocean by the red-orange sun, which had almost fully set by now.

He – at least, the man had called Bagon "he"- seemed to be roaring and leering at me with pure hatred, but there was more. The scar around his right eye enhanced Bagon's ferocious appearance, but I could clearly see the Pokemon's fear.

"Bagon," I said, speaking calmly to the Pokemon. Even though Bagon looked like he was ready to kill me, he was still tiny and honestly not intimidating at all. "I'm Wes. I'm your new trainer."

I reached out to pet Bagon's head. The dragon Pokemon had other ideas, and snapped at my hand.

"Whoa!" I jerked my fingers back just in time to keep them. "You can relax, Bagon, I'm your friend. I won't hurt you."

The look in Bagon's eyes let me know that the Pokemon wanted to believe me. However, he didn't calm down and instead roared at me again.

I realized just how much Bagon was communicating without words, and just how much I could understand. I had always wondered how trainers were able to be in sync with their Pokemon when they didn't speak the same language, and now I was beginning to understand.

"Okay, I'll show you that you can trust me," I said, standing up and pointing the Pokeball. "I'm gonna return you, and then when I let you out again I'll give you food." I didn't really know what to do with an angry Pokemon, but food always helped an angry kid. I had seen Madam Amedee break up a lot of fights between Wards with food before. Besides, I would be following my promise and showing that I was trustworthy.

I switched the Pokeball to return and pointed it at Bagon. The Pokemon sunk gently into a ring of burning blue energy and disappeared in a way that reminded me of sand passing through my fingers.

I then realized how late I was, so I sprinted back to the Wards' home. Along the way I thought about what had just happened. I had just gotten an angry, dangerous Pokemon as payment for a random errand. There were so many things wrong with that.

I should have thought about it more. I should have said no, or at least asked what happened to this Bagon. The scar and the bad temper, plus the fact that the man had given him to me, opened up a lot of questions.

The fact that I had earned my own pay for once, instead of having to take charity, made the delivery worth it. But accepting this Pokemon might have been a bad move. The idea of getting my own Pokemon had made me think of the endless possibilities of a journey, but that couldn't happen. I had no money for medical treatment or to register for the league. Besides, with the attitude my Bagon had, he probably wouldn't battle with me. I could sneak him some food from dinner and lunch, and slowly earn his trust, but that would be it.

But, I still had a Pokemon.

I got to the Wards' home much later than normal, earning a little concern from Madam Amedee and a suspicious look from Matthew. Madam Amedee had said that teenagers deserved to have secrets, and that she wouldn't pry, so she didn't ask me anything, and Matthew didn't care enough to wonder where I was.

I ate some dinner and wrapped a little in a napkin for Bagon. After I finished, I walked outside and clicked Bagon's Pokeball open. The flash from the Pokeball looked really bright at night. I hope it didn't wake anyone up.

The small Dragon appeared and snarled at me. He then looked up at me expectantly. I set the food down on the ground and watched as Bagon devoured it in seconds.

"See? You can trust me." I said.

Bagon turned away and looked down.

"Bagon. I'm your friend now. Trainers look out for their Pokemon. There's nothing to be afraid of." I probably didn't deserve to call myself a trainer. After all, I had absolutely no battle experience and only one Pokemon, who wouldn't even listen to me, but it felt like the right thing to say.

Bagon looked back at me like he really wanted to believe what I was saying.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said, returning Bagon. He had been a lot less angry this time, after I fed him and showed him that my word was good. Maybe there was still some hope that I could call myself a trainer.

Over the next few days, I continued to slowly earn Bagon's trust, one step at a time. I would sneak him food after lunch at school and after dinner at the home and spend time with him for a while after basketball practice. I kept Bagon my secret for a few reasons. First, he was very dangerous and might attack people who approached him, especially the little ones at the Wards' home. Second, I didn't want to be challenged to a battle by the people at school who had Pokemon. Also, I had never had a Pokemon before and, despite the challenge of earning trust, I was really enjoying it. I didn't want anything to change.

About a week and a half after I met Bagon, I was changing after basketball practice when I realized that I hadn't had one of my dreams in a while. Since I usually have one every few days, it was a nice relief.

Liz walked up to me as I was leaving. "Wes!"

"I have something to do," I said, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I didn't know what she wanted to talk about. Right now I was more interested in jogging around the bike track with Bagon. Bagon was really starting to warm up to me, and I had grown really attached to my Pokemon.

I walked, well, more like jogged, out the door and soon was far enough away from the school. I didn't mind if some cyclists saw Bagon. The only people who I wanted to hide my Pokemon from were my classmates and the other Wards.

"Bagon!" I called, throwing the Pokeball. There wasn't any real point to shouting my Pokemon's name, but it was kind of fun.

The Dragon Pokemon appeared and roared, making a grating sound from the back of his throat. The fear and rage vanished from his eyes as soon as he saw me, and he made a much happier sound.

"Ready for a jog?" I asked, crouching down to Bagon's level.

The Pokemon signaled his approval with a nod and a small growl.

"Wes!" Someone's voice called from behind me. I turned around to see Liz running after me. She stopped and looked down in surprise. "Is that a Bagon?"

I returned Bagon, not knowing what to do or why she was following me, but that just made it worse.

"Is that Pokeball yours?"

"Yeah," I said. She had already seen it, so there was no point in hiding it. Besides, she knew a lot about Pokemon and loved to talk, so she might say something that could help me.

"How could you afford it?" she asked. Her eyes widened a second later when she saw the look on my face. "I mean, can I see Bagon again? How can you afford to keep such a rare Pokemon hidden?"

I breathed deeply and calmed down. She hadn't meant to be so insulting, and she had tried to cover up her mistake, albeit lamely.

"I received this Pokeball in a fair deal. I helped a man with something, and I got this in return."

She may not have cared about that detail, but the fact that it was a fair deal and not charity meant a lot to me. I clicked the Pokeball open. "Bagon, meet Liz!"

Bagon appeared between us and instantly fixed his eyes on Liz, first roaring at her and then giving her a terrifying glare.

Liz made a squeaky noise and then stepped back, "That Leer attack is really effective," she said in a small voice, "Wes, can you make it stop?"

So Bagon is using a move? Leer? That does explain why he can be so scary. "Bagon, relax," I said, gently laying a hand on my Pokemon's head, "Liz isn't a threat."

Bagon listened to me and stopped glaring at her but remained tense and on his guard.

Liz looked at Bagon intensely. "What happened to its face?"

"I don't know," I admitted, "He had that scar when I met him."

"The wound has totally healed," she said, moving in closer to look at Bagon's scar, which made the Pokemon uncomfortable, "But there is a lot of scar tissue. I think that he didn't receive proper medical treatment. Maybe this happened after a fierce battle."

"This was damage from a Pokemon battle?" I looked at Bagon's scar again."Are you sure?" I hadn't seen any Pokemon with battle damage before.

"Well, I honestly don't know. But I do know that the nurses in Pokemon Centers have special procedures to make sure that Pokemon with bad wounds don't scar." She attempted to touch Bagon's scar. I had to pull the Dragon Pokemon back quickly when he snapped at Liz's hand.

"Eek!" she said, jumping back. Then she looked at Bagon again. "It knows Bite and Leer? Those are low-level moves. It seems to have experienced a lot of battles, but it hasn't grown very much. Did it lose them all?"

She seemed to be thinking out loud at this point. "I don't know. I only met him recently. I've got no idea what happened before that," I said.

"Does it know Rage?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. We haven't battled yet," I answered, "And with what you said about that scar earlier, it's probably a good thing."

She looked at me questioningly.

"I don't…" I tried to think of how to put this. I mean, she already knew that I was poor, as she had demonstrated earlier, but I still didn't want to say out loud that I couldn't afford medical treatment if my Pokemon got hurt. "I don't have access to a Pokemon Center.

"Oh. I see what you mean," she said, "You know, normally battles aren't brutal enough to cause that kind of damage. Your Bagon would probably be fine with some rest even if it lost miserably."

"Hey Liz," I said, wondering about something, "Why were you following me?"

"I-," she said. She looked down and tried to change the subject, "So what are you and Bagon going to do? Are you just going to keep Bagon with you as you go through school? Are you two maybe planning on going on a journey?"

She must have forgotten I was poor. Maybe the option of going on a journey was always available for her, so she didn't realize that some people didn't have that luxury. Normally rich people made those assumptions, though, and I didn't think Liz was rich. Maybe she was a rich girl who was actually nice and didn't make me want to vomit every five seconds? There weren't a lot of those.

"I wish I could," I said honestly, "Don't you think going on a journey would be amazing?"

"It might," she said, "But you do know that you don't need to have a Pokemon or access to a hospital to go on a journey. You could just walk around the region."

"You couldn't get through caves where dangerous Pokemon live," I said.

"You could, however, ask a Pokemon Ranger to escort you. I think that's what they do. Or you could simply go around."

I'm not sure if Liz was trying to be annoying or just listing facts like usual, but what she was saying wasn't as fun as what I had in mind.

"I want to go on a journey with my Bagon, challenge the gyms, meet new Pokemon, and see all of what Kalos has to offer. It would be amazing." I said, embarrassingly listing my dreams. Then I realized why she was arguing. "Wait, you're trying to distract me, aren't you? Why were you following me, Liz?"

"I was just going to ask you… about the formal dance," she said, starting to talk more quickly, "It is scheduled to happen soon and I was wondering if you were," she broke off for a second, "going with anybody."

"Oh," I said. She wanted to go with me to the dance. I had honestly totally forgotten about it since I met Bagon. I did like Liz, but I didn't really want to go to the dance with her. This could get awkward. I was suddenly very happy to go along with the way she tried to change the conversation. "Have you ever, you know, wanted to go on a journey?"

"I have been thinking about that for a long time now. My parents have said that they would allow me to go if I wanted to," she said, "I'm just not sure what I want to do. I could try to win the league, or become a breeder, or…" Her voice trailed off and I could see her lack of confidence.

"Why don't you go?" I asked, "Maybe along the way you could find out what you really want to do. If you made up your mind and decided to go, what Pokemon you want to start with?" I honestly was interested.

"I have always wanted to catch a Solrock. When I was really little, my dream was always to have a Solrock. I don't even know why," she said, "Do you know about Glittering Cave, which is that cavern just past Ambrette Town? I have wanted to go there and catch one."

"I've heard that cave is huge and full of Pokemon. Most people who've been there said they got lost because everything looked the same," I said.

"I know," she replied, "And you need a Pokemon to defend you on Spikes Way. I have heard that it gets really dangerous sometimes. It sounds like catching a Solrock would be a challenge, right?" She said that with a strange mixture of excitement and nervousness. Maybe she really wanted to try, but was afraid she would fail.

Bagon nudged my leg, looking up at me. He seemed much more relaxed than he had before. Maybe he had realized that Liz wasn't a threat.

"You should battle with your Bagon," Liz said, "It would be a great opportunity for the two of you to get closer."

"Yeah," I answered. It might be a good thing to try, if Bagon wanted to.

"I have an idea!" said Liz. "You help me get to Glittering Cave and catch a Mawile, and I pay for your registration for the League!"

"What? Are you serious?" That deal didn't really sound fair to me, and I didn't want to take thinly disguised charity.

"No, It makes sense," Liz argued, "You see, you would talk me into starting a journey and help me catch a Pokemon, in essence starting my journey, and in return I would start yours."

"But a League registration?" I asked, "You would really buy that?"

"Honestly, it isn't too expensive for me," she answered, "And, besides, you would earn it by escorting me to that cave. It would be a, what did you say earlier? A fair deal?"

It didn't seem like I would be able to talk her out of it, and I honestly didn't want to.

"Sure. Sounds like a deal."

"Let's go on Saturday!"

"This Saturday?"

"Yes!" she said, "I want to do it as soon as possible. I mean, I'm really excited!"

"Okay then," I said, "It's a plan."

I'll go on a jog with Bagon later.

"Return, Bagon."

I even dared to get my hopes up. My dream, a real journey, could actually be coming true.


	3. Chapter 3: Sparks

Chapter 3

"Bagon! Let's do it!" I called, throwing Bagon's Pokéball. It hit the ground and released my Pokémon in a circle of light, bouncing back due to the energy it generated. I caught it and minimized it in one smooth motion, putting it in my pocket where I could reach it easily if I needed to recall him.

"Tentacool!" said the man who had introduced himself as Wharton. He threw his Pokéball with one hand while keeping his fishing rod on his shoulder with his other. The blue Jellyfish Pokemon appeared on the sands of the Muraille coast.

Bagon saw Tentacool and immediately roared at his foe. Both the Pokemon and the fisherman shrank back from my tiny Dragon. I chuckled about that for a second before calling out to my Bagon.

"Bagon, are you sure you're ready?"

Bagon looked back at me with trusting eyes and nodded. We had become close so fast it was almost scary. I realized that the feeling of being a trainer could get very addictive.

"Use Leer first!" called the girl standing beside me. That was Liz, trying to help as usual. I figured that since this was my first battle, I might as well listen.

"Sure, thanks," I said, then turned to my Pokémon, "Use Leer!"

Bagon's frightening stare made the Tentacool flinch back, putting it in a more vulnerable position.

"So its ability is Liquid Ooze?" Liz said. She noticed that I turned to her and then said, "Don't worry, it doesn't matter. Your Bagon has no draining moves."

I turned my attention back to the battle just in time to watch Tentacool's attack.

"Tentacool, Toxic Spikes!" called Wharton.

Tentacool followed his orders and scattered sharp spines that dripped with metallic, ice-cold venom on the field. Because of the pattern they were in, they would be easy for my Bagon to avoid, but I realized that any Pokémon being sent out would have to step on them.

"That move will poison any Pokémon being sent into battle," Liz explained. I had already guessed as much, but it was nice to have her confirm it. "It won't have any effect on you because you only have Bagon with you. You should use an attack move next, like Bite or Headbutt, now that its defense is cut."

"Headbutt!"

Bagon jumped over the Toxic Spikes and rammed Tentacool with his rock-hard head. The opposing Tentacool seemed to take some real damage, but it could still fight.

"Now, Constrict!" ordered Wharton.

Bagon was still in-close from delivering his Headbutt, and in the perfect spot to be attacked. Tentacool's slimy arms wrapped Bagon in a painful embrace. One of its salty tentacles wrapped Bagon's snout, which gave me an idea.

"Bagon, use Bite!"

Bagon opened his jaw and snapped it shut around the tentacle. It was the perfect finishing hit, and the opposing Pokémon's grip slackened as it blacked out.

"No!" yelled Wharton.

Bagon didn't seem to realize the battle over. He ran at the downed Pokemon, snarling and opening his mouth, preparing to deliver another Bite.

"Whoa there, it's over," called Wharton, looking at the Pokemon that was obviously about to attack. The fisherman didn't let that happen, pointing his Pokéball at the defeated Tentacool and returning it silently faster than my Pokemon could land another blow.

"Bagon, calm down, you won already!" I called. Bagon seemed to hear me and turned back to look at me, "The battle is over. You did great!"

Bagon jumped over the Toxic Spikes and landed beside me. I rubbed my hardworking Pokemon's head.

"Your Pokemon is pretty savage, kid," said Wharton, handing me the prize money.

"Sorry about that. It's our first battle," I said apologetically. He walked down the beach, looking for another fishing spot.

"Nice win, Wes," said Liz, "That last Bite was a good idea. Typing and Stats mean a lot in a battle, but perfect timing can be a huge factor too. Anyway, did you enjoy your first battle?"

"Yeah, it was fun," I said. Bagon agreed with me, giving a happy roar.

Liz had convinced me to have a battle as practice for our journey on Saturday. She had actually waited until my basketball practice was finished and then found me in the hallway again, but it was a good idea, so I went along with it. Since today was Wednesday, Bagon would have plenty of time to rest and recover. Fortunately, he didn't take much damage and would be back to perfect health in no time.

"So, on Saturday morning, we'll meet by the bike shop at 7:00," said Liz, repeating our plan again.

"Okay," I answered, "I'll be there." I wasn't going to complain about the early time. With the little ones around, I couldn't sleep in on the weekends anyway, "So, are you ready?"

"Yes! I have everything I need, and I bought a Pokeball yesterday," she said, "I'm actually really excited!"

I listened to Liz talk about Solrock, Muraille Coast, and other random things that entered her head for a little while before I left. I went back to the Wards' Home and she went back to her house.

The next two days passed quickly. We played a basketball game on Thursday night and managed to narrowly win. Also, Liz seemed to get more confident each time she brought up her plan.

On Friday night, I started packing my secondhand backpack to get ready for the trip. I didn't really have many things to take with me. If I register for the League and start a real journey, I'll probably have to fill this with supplies. Also, I could buy something to replace it along the way.

I fell asleep thinking of what could happen if I went on a journey. To me it was if, not when: I still had my doubts and this whole thing seemed too good to be true.

As usual, the sounds of a miserable child crying woke me up on Saturday. Even though the little ones had all lost their family and honestly only had Madam Amedee and each other, they still acted cruelly to each other. The time I spent as a little one was terrible.

I ate a quick breakfast and told Madam Amedee I would be with my friends all day. She had her hands full with the little ones, so she just waved me a hurried goodbye.

The walk to the bike shop took no time at all.

Liz was already there, waiting for me. She was wearing some trendy athletic clothing, and looked really attractive.

"Hey Wes!" called Liz, excited. I realized that I was staring and quickly looked down. I quietly mumbled good morning.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm okay," I said, "Let's go."

The Muraille Coast was beautiful in the morning. Faint mists hung around the cliffs high above our heads, the sea reflected the early sun's light, and the cool sand crunched gently under our feet.

On the way to Ambrette Town, a woman with a tight swimsuit and a Masquerain challenged me to a battle. The battle was tough even with Liz advising. Masquerain was an evolved Pokemon and Bagon's attacks seemed to be less powerful than before, probably because the bug Pokemon scared him with its intimidating pattern. We managed to win, but Bagon looked exhausted by the end.

"Bagon, are you okay?" I asked, worried.

My Pokemon was barely standing up. That last Ominous Wind attack had hit really hard.

"Liz, we can't get to Ambrette Town like this. Bagon's about to fall down," I said, trying to pick Bagon up and carry him.

"I came prepared," said Liz proudly, reaching into the expensive-looking bag she was carrying while I struggled with the heavy Dragon. She grabbed a bottle of medicine and happily waved it at me, "See? It's the perfect item for this situation: a Potion."

"Cool," I said. I had seen Trainers use that kind of medicine before. Potions worked stupidly fast. Bagon would be back to normal in no time.

Liz sat down on a rock and gently applied the potion. In a minute Bagon's energy had completely returned.

"Aah!" Liz yelled, falling off her rock. It was actually a wild Dwebble, not very happy about having a passenger. Bagon scared it off with a vicious Bite while I helped Liz up.

Further down the Route, another fisherman challenged me to a battle. Bagon was able to knock out both of his Pokemon without much trouble.

The fisherman, who said his name was Shad, called back his defeated Staryu and handed me the prize money. It was starting to add up, I realized.

"You're extremely good at this, Wes!" Liz said, sounding impressed, "You haven't lost yet."

"Thanks," I said, "But I'm only winning because of my awesome Pokemon and my awesome battle coach."

"You mean me?" she said. She smiled happily.

The walk to Ambrette Town took less time than I thought it would. We entered the town through the Aquarium, which was just as beautiful as last time I had been here. We had come here on a field trip, and since I don't get to leave Cyllage City much, I remembered all of it.

"This place is great," said Liz, looking at the huge tank that was in the shape of a pillar, "All of these tanks connect to the harbor, so water Pokemon can swim in or leave whenever they want."

"That's cool, Liz," I said, "Can we get going?"

I smiled as we passed the Pokemon Center, hoping that soon I would be registered and able to go there whenever my Pokemon needed healing.

"There," said Liz, pointing to the left, "That's the way we need to go. Before we can arrive at the cave, though, we first need to travel across Spikes Passage."

Ambrette Town was really small, so after we passed by the Hotel and the Fossil Research Center, it didn't take long for us to get to Spikes Passage.

"Whoa," I said.

Calling this place "Spikes Passage" was an understatement. It was a narrow path between a rock face on the left and a sheer cliff that dropped at least 60 meters on the right, and the path itself was covered in viciously jagged rock spines.

"Good morning and welcome to Route 9," said the Pokemon Ranger who was standing beside a Rhyhorn, "You two want to cross to Glittering Cave, right? You're not with that group that came here earlier, are you?"

"That's right," answered Liz, "I mean, we want to go to the cave. We aren't associated with any group."

The ranger looked visibly relieved when Liz said we weren't part of any group. I wanted to ask her what group she was talking about, but she started talking a second later.

"You may ride this Rhyhorn, but you will both have to ride together," she told us, clearly having said this before. "This Rhyhorn is very docile, but please do treat her with respect. Once you have crossed the Spikes, leave the Rhyhorn with my colleague. Ready?"

We nodded to her and mounted the Rhyhorn. I got on first, then Liz followed and wrapped her arms around me, holding me extremely close.

"For safety reasons," she said when I looked at her, "Do you see how far down that is?"

I shrugged and gently urged the Pokemon forward. The ground shook with every lumbering step. We passed close to the edge of the cliff at one part, and the Rock Pokemon knocked some stones over the side. They took a long time to hit the ground.

Halfway across the Spikes, Rhyhorn seemed to stumble. Immediately, a Pokemon jumped out from belowground.

"How did that thing jump?" I asked. The Pokemon had really short legs and didn't look like it would be very acrobatic.

"It's a wild Hippopotas!" called Liz, "Cover your eyes!"

"What?"

The Hippopotas seemed to panic when it saw us and instantly sand started swirling. I quickly covered my face with my arm as a cyclone of sand slammed into me.

"It's called Sand Stream," said Liz uselessly, "It summons a sandstorm."

"Yeah," I said. The sandstorm had calmed down a little, so I was able to look again.

"Bagon!" I called. I clicked Bagon's Pokeball open in my hand, not having any space to throw it. He appeared on Rhyhorn's head, and the Rock Pokemon didn't seem to mind.

"Bagon, be careful," I said, "Don't step down."

"Hippopotas is a Ground Pokemon, so this sandstorm will help it," said Liz, "But try not to let the battle take long because the weather will hurt Bagon."

"Got it," I nodded. "Leer!"

Bagon was able to perform this attack while staying on Ryhorn's head. I didn't want my Pokemon stepping on the ground around here.

Hippopotas flinched back from the angry look, but then lunged at Bagon, trying to tackle him.

"Bagon, when it gets close, Headbutt," both of us tracked the Hippopotas, which was again jumping farther than I would have expected.

"Now!"

The move made solid contact, knocking Hippopotas away toward the rock bluff. The wild Pokemon got back up and blasted sand toward Bagon.

"It's Sand Attack!" called Liz.

"Bagon, get out of the wa-" I tried to call, but I had to shut my mouth as the sand hit us.

"Leer!"

Bagon was still covered in sand, and glared in the wrong direction. Hippopotas used that chance to attack out of nowhere, using Takedown to knock Bagon into the air.

"Now, Bite," I called.

The midair attack hit hard because of how close they were. The wild Hippopotas fainted, and I returned Bagon before he could hit the Spikes.

After the battle, Bagon looked tired, so Liz used one of her Potions. We continued on Spikes Way for about half an hour, stopping occasionally when wild Pokemon attacked.

"Hippopotas and Sandile belong here," I said, "But Helioptile? Why is an Electric Pokemon here?"

"It just lives in this environment," said Liz, "It's a very tough Pokemon. A lot like your Bagon."

She petted Bagon's head, and he smiled instead of snapping at her.

"You sure have relaxed a lot," I said, playfully rubbing the side of Bagon's face.

"You're a natural trainer, Wes," said Liz, "I'm sure it's your influence."

"I think he likes you, too," I said, "I'm sure that your Solrock will."

"Look! We're finally here!" Liz exclaimed.

I dismounted Rhyhorn and stretched my legs, which had really started to cramp. Another Pokemon Ranger approached us and took Rhyhorn.

"When you go into the cave, be careful," he warned, "You can get lost easily in there and that group of people is still inside."

"A group?" Liz asked.

"They came here earlier, and they are all wearing these gauche orange suits. They seem pretty sinister if you ask me," he explained, "I know Rangers are supposed to respect all living things, but I'm worried about-"

"We'll watch out for them," said Liz, who was uncurling something from her bag. "Wes, look! It's an Escape Rope. This way we can find our way back to the entrance."

The Ranger looked a little annoyed at having his speech about the group interrupted, but patiently showed Liz how to tie the rope around a rock formation outside the cave. He walked away and started feeding Rhyhorn as we entered the cave.

Instantly, a wave of darkness hit me. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see the walls, which were carved from red and orange rock. Small patches of glowing crystals lit the narrow pathway, but didn't do much to brighten the eternal twilight, lighting only a few meters around them. Far away, when the path vanished in the darkness, I could see more crystals glow.

We walked in passing a creepy outcropping that looked like teeth on our right. The farther in we went, the colder it became.

Liz shrieked when a dark shape darted out of the shadows, and since the cave was so creepy I almost joined her.

"It's a Lunatone!" she called, "Watch out! It has Psychic abilities."

"Let's go, Bagon!" I called, then turned to ask Liz a question. "Dark moves are a good idea, right?"

"That's right," she said with a surprised tone.

"Hey! You don't have to be so shocked!" I said, "I do know things. Bite!"

Lunatone blasted my Pokemon with an invisible wave that sent rippling energy through the air.

"It's Confusion!" called Liz.

Bagon leaped at Lunatone and landed a solid Bite. The Pyschic Pokemon then backed out of the circle of light that one of the glowing crystals was making. I could hear it scrape against rocks around me somewhere.

"Be on your guard, Bagon," I warned, "When it attacks, use Bite again."

A few seconds later, a spiraling cluster of energy shot at Bagon and revealed Lunatone's hiding spot. I recognized the move as Psywave.

"Now!"

Bagon's second Bite finished the battle.

Liz used another Potion on Bagon.

"We need to find a Solrock soon: I'm starting to run out of these," she said. She showed me that she had only two left.

We ducked under a particularly narrow ceiling. Once we were through, the cave opened up to reveal a surprisingly large space. A set of rusty mine cart rails ran through this area, and old-fashioned electric lights lit the entire space.

"What's this?"

A man turned around to look at us. He was wearing an orange suit and huge orange glasses that hid his eyes completely.

"Well, well. What do we have here? A nosey little trainer has come poking around. Listen up!," he paused, striking a pose, "We're the fashionable team whose very name makes people tremble in fear: Flare! Our goal is to make it so we're the only ones who are happy!"

He really seemed to be enjoying giving his speech. Liz tried to interrupt and say something, but he wouldn't let her, instead saying, "Get out of here, kids. Don't you know not to play with fire?"

"What?" asked Liz, "Let us pass."

"It's okay," I said, "We don't want any trouble."

"Smart guy," said the man, "You really should listen to him."

"There's a lot of the cave to check," I said, "Let's go."

"No!" said Liz, "I'm going on this journey to learn to believe in myself. I'll be confident, and I won't let anyone stand in my way, least of all some guy in an ugly suit!"

What is it with people giving speeches today?

"Ugly? How dare you!" cried the man. He released a Houndour, "Leave now, or I'll obliterate you!"

"Time to go, Liz," I said, grabbing her arm and gently pulling her toward the entrance.

"Sorry Wes," she said, slipping free and reaching a hand into my Pocket.

"No," I said, realizing what she was doing and trying to grab her hand.

"I'll register you for the League, remember," she said, "Let's go, Bagon!"

"Liz!"

"You'll regret this, girl!"

"Bagon, Leer!" called Liz.

Bagon turned to me and shrugged before following Liz's order.

"Liz! Liz! Stop!" I begged. I had just met Bagon, and I didn't want my Pokemon to get hurt in a fight with some crazy man.

Bagon glared at Houndour, causing the hound to shrink back in fear.

"Houndour, Ember!"

"That's a stupid call!" said Liz, snorting dismissively.

Bagon snorted as well and shrugged off the small wash of flame like it was nothing. I know that Liz could win this, especially with her knowledge, but I still didn't like this. The last thing my Bagon needed was another scar.

"Use Headbutt now!" she called

Bagon's head struck hard, weakening the Houndour.

"Now use Smog!" shouted the Flare agent.

Houndour opened its mouth and snarled. A sinister cloud of gases slipped out of its throat and coiled along the cave floor toward Bagon.

"Smog has low accuracy," Liz said quickly, thinking aloud, "You can dodge it. Get out of the way, Bagon! Don't get poisoned!"

Bagon jumped out of the way and the thick smoke passed by.

"Now finish it! Another Headbutt!"

Houndour fell to the ground.

"No!" called the Flare agent. He held up the Pokéball and the Houndour dissolved in a silky light that reflected off the gems in the cave. He fell to his knees, slumping in hopelessness. "At least I lost in style," he moaned to himself.

He got back up and tried to block our way, but backed off when Bagon snarled at him. Instead, he just acted really creepy and gave us a warning, "Watch yourself. I'm not the only member of Flare. And if you disappear in this cave, you'll never find your way out."

We walked past him, Bagon turning back to glare at him every so often.

"Nice battling Liz," I said, "You and my loyal Pokemon make a great team."

Liz shrugged apologetically, "Bagon seemed happy to listen to me. But that man was really full of it, right? He said the name Flare makes people tremble in fear, but he was scared by a novice and a Bagon."

We hadn't walked much farther when a woman ambushed us. She wore a similar suit to the one the man had been wearing.

"How did you kids get past the guard?" she asked, before sneering in a cold voice, "It doesn't matter. We're gonna take everyone else down so we can do what we want!"

She threw a Pokemon and a green Pokemon appeared, roaring at us with a crackling cry.

"I'll do this," I said, "Bagon! Let's go!"

Bagon was already out of his Pokeball, so he just stepped forward and roared.

"Quick Attack!" called the woman.

Electrike rushed forward at blinding speed at struck Bagon.

"Headbutt!"

After a few more attacks, Electrike slumped, unconscious, and the woman hung her head in defeat.

"What?" she cried, "You weren't supposed to beat me! Now you'll get in the boss's way!"

"Relax," I said, "We aren't trying to get in anyone's way. We don't want any trouble, but you people keep picking fights."

I felt like we were in over our heads and I was trying to stop the situation from escalating.

"You can't monopolize this cave!" declared Liz, "Stop trying to get in our way!"

Liz apparently didn't agree with me.

"Let's go, Liz. You do still want to catch a Solrock, right?" I reminded her.

We followed the minecart track deeper into the cave, and the electric lanterns on the walls started getting dimmer. Liz pointed to something as we walked.

"See that? It looks like the imprint of a sail fossil," she showed, tracing the pattern in the rock wall, "Whoever mined this had impressive tools. Look at how clean the cuts are!"

The cave's walls closed in again ahead, leaving only a small door of rock. We would have to enter single file.

In the room, there were no electric lanterns to make the rust-colored stone of the walls glow. It was pitch black except for a few defiant clusters of glowing crystal that shone their sickly green and dying blue light in small patches.

There was another person in the room already, crouching down at the far wall facing away from me, tearing into the wall with some kind of torch. In the beam's strobing, white light, I could see the outline of a fossil.

I heard Liz step in behind me.

"Let's leave," I said, "This room's a dead end."

Liz looked around for a second and nodded, turning to step out again.

"Hold it!"

The person was now standing up, the torch in their hand shooting a beam of what looked like white-hot fire. In the light, the person was revealed to be a woman wearing red armor and some kind of goggles that covered her eyes completely and only showed a glowing band of purple.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

I made some kind of noise. I don't even know what it was supposed to be. All I knew is that I had seen this woman before, and my throat filled with the memory of ashes.


	4. Chapter 4: Bandages

Chapter 4

* * *

><p>"Shut up," commanded the woman in a bored tone of voice, "I have work to do."<p>

I backed up against the wall. The woman had sent out some huge, purple and black Pokemon with viciously bladed claws to keep us away. I had wanted to ask Liz what the Pokemon was, but now wasn't the best time.

"Let us go!" shrieked Liz as the light from the torch flickered brightly and illuminated the huge Pokemon's snapping mandibles and spherical eyes, making both glow an eerie, blank white.

"You took down my gaurds," she said, "You seem to like causing trouble, and I can't let you interfere with what I'm doing here. My record has to be flawless, especially with Aliana and Xerosic undercutting the boss's authority at every chance they get." She had said that last part mostly to herself, and seemed to realize it. She turned back to us, illuminating the huge Pokemon once again. "Just stay still until I'm finished and I'll let you go."

"Seriously, just let us go!" begged Liz. I was mentally assessing whether or not Bagon could defeat the huge Pokemon.

"I'm finished!" The woman said happily, gently pulling the fossil out of the wall, "Can you believe the beauty? You can see every piece of the feather!" She obviously didn't seem to mind gushing about her discovery to her captives, "This creature lived so long ago, a life of simplicity, a mix of idleness, savagery, happiness, and beauty. The world was so much simpler back then. The world was a perfect sculpture of the beauty of nature. People's selfishness and evil didn't exist! Back then, every being lived for itself and contributed, a tiny stone in a mosaic of life. None had to bear the weight of the combined wrongs of centuries of humans. Nothing had to suffer because of the sins of its parents!"

I couldn't see her eyes because of her goggles, but I could tell from her voice that they would be lit up with passion because of her speech. For some reason, the fact I couldn't see her eyes felt natural and familiar, like I saw her all the time and her eyes were hidden. I felt even more frustrated now. I knew I should remember her, but I couldn't.

"The world is so corrupt," she continued, "It's so full of people, each with their own flaws: greed, cruelty, hatred, and too many more to name. Long ago, a meteor hit the earth and destroyed most of life, giving everything a new chance, a new beginning. Perhaps something like that would help nowadays, cleansing the world of evil and allowing the remaining few to enjoy lives of plenty and happiness."

"Bagon!" I called, "Help us!"

Bagon appeared. The circular flash from the Pokeball illuminated the dark cave once again. In the dazzling light of the Pokeball, I could see a monstrous scorpion approaching, and Bagon looking up with fear.

"Bagon! Headbutt!" I called.

"You think that's a challenge? So lame," the woman commanded, "Drapion, Cross Poison!"

The Pokemon swung its bladed appendages with brutal force, and I did something instinctual. It was crazy to think that I could protect Bagon, but he had started trusting me and I was extremely attached to him. So I ran forward, shouting, and grabbed Bagon, turning so that he was shielded by my body.

A loud scream echoed in the small cave, and the woman from Flare and Evelyn both gasped. The woman hit a button on the side of her visor, casting purple light on the scene. A second later, I realized that I was the one screaming. My side burned and I felt my skin start to get wet. A pool of something that looked red, but oddly distorted in the purple light, started to form beneath my crouching body.

"You idiot!" screamed the woman, "There was no point in getting yourself sliced open! Return, Drapion!" The woman pulled a Pokeball from her red armor and called back her monster. I fell over and hit the floor slowly, my legs getting weak.

"Wes!" screamed Liz. Her voice started to sound quieter, like she was speaking to me through cloth that someone had pressed over my ears. The floor was really starting to get wet.

"Wes?" asked the woman, pausing. "Your name is Wes?" She sounded startled. Something about her saying my name was very familiar too.

The world swam in and out of focus. I clutched at my side, and my hands were suddenly red. My mind stopped working. Blood. This was a lot of blood. Darkness started to swirl into my vision from all sides, and I looked at the woman again, her visor the purple strip of light at the end of the tunnel of darkness. Suddenly, I knew something. I knew a name.

"Celosia-" I was talking to her. I had no idea why I said that, but it seemed natural.

She looked down at me, too, and her mouth suddenly gaped open. "No… No way… Wes, I…" She seemed to be trying to say something to me, but she couldn't.

She clutched at the fossil in sheer panic and ran away at top speed like her past was chasing her.

I was speaking again as the darkness closed in. "She left again- No fire this time-"

* * *

><p>"Wes! You're awake!"<p>

It was bright and the floor was too soft. I breathed in the smell of too many sick people and too much medicine. My side felt too full and stiff in a way that was impossibly dry. There was a Pokeball on the table by my bed.

I heard the sound of a door opening.

"He's awake!" Liz called.

"Hospital room," I said out loud. I had never been in one before, which I guess was a good thing.

A short but graceful tan and black-colored Pokemon stood by the window, looking out into the morning light.

Liz opened the door wide for two people, a doctor in a white lab coat and a Pokemon Center Nurse with her signature pink hair.

"Hello, I'm Nurse Faith," she introduced herself.

"I'm Doctor Lee," mimicked the man standing beside her, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel good," I decided after feeling my body for a second, "Except for my side."

The Doctor asked me to show my side. I slipped the hospital robe down and for the first time saw my injury. A puckered gash, red and purple at the edges, crisscrossed with strands of black stitching, tore at the skin below my ribs across the left side. Cross Poison. That woman's Drapion had done this.

I made a noise of disgust, but Nurse Faith had a different opinion.

"Excellent. The swelling has gone down immensely, and the infection has mostly been treated," she said, looking at the tablet in her hands.

"Your combination of Antivenoms and Worpharin worked," said Dr. Lee, sounding impressed.

"Oh my god, Wes," said Liz, hugging me carefully and avoiding my side, "I can't beleive we're okay."

"We'll check on you again in a few hours," said Dr. Lee, "Get some rest and you may be able to leave tomorrow."

Dr. Lee and Nurse Faith walked out of the room, talking about their treatment. Apparently Nurse Faith had created the Antivenoms herself. I had to remember to thank her next time.

"What happened?" I asked Liz, "How did we get out of the cave? I don't remember."

"So you remember that when that purple-eyed chienne attacked you with her Drapion?" That wasn't exactly how it had happened. The woman- Celosia, I somehow knew, hadn't been targeting me at all. Liz was cut off in the middle of her explanation by the tan and black Pokemon, who was gently tapping her shoulder with its...was that its mouth?

"Oh yeah, Wes, meet Mawile!" Liz said proudly, "She helped me carry you back here! I was panicking when you were there on the ground bleeding, and I recognized that you were obviously poisoned and bleeding out and she was the first Pokemon I saw and-"

This time I cut her off by tapping on her arm. If I hadn't, she probably would have just kept talking. "Thank you, Liz. Thank you, Mawile. I owe you both my life."

I always thought that saying something like that would be clichéd and sound weird but I meant it completely, and it sounded natural to me.

"Wes, that's Bagon's Pokeball," said Liz, pointing to the one on the table, "He tried to carry you, but he wasn't strong enough. He kept trying though. He's obviously really grateful for what you did. Wes, let me just say: that was crazy."

I threw Bagon's Pokeball and smiled as I saw the familiar dragon appear beside the bed. My hand instinctively reached out to catch the Pokeball and I winced at the pain the sudden movement caused me.

Bagon jumped up onto the bed, making me wince again. I hugged him happily, glad to see that the old anger and suspicion hadn't come back into his eyes. In fact, he looked more thankful and happy than ever. I looked at the line running down the left side of his face, and thought about the fresh wound on my side. Scarred Pokemon, scarred trainer.

I realized something, "Liz, your Solrock."

"No, it's fine," she said, "Mawile is an amazing Pokemon! She's steel type and has an incredible ability. Besides, when going on a journey you meet new Pokemon in new situations, right? That was a time I needed to meet a new Pokemon, I can tell you."

"But..." I protested, feeling bad that she hadn't caught a Solrock.

"Wes, relax. I mean it. It's like we were fated to meet," Liz insisted, crouching down to hug her new Pokemon, "Besides, now that I have a Pokemon, I can go back to catch a Solrock whenever I feel like it. Which I probably won't do. I really want to explore Geosenge town."

Liz seemed totally different to me now, more active and engaged in what was going on, and she had only been on a journey for one day. I wondered if I seemed different.

"Wes, you should get some rest now," she told me, "I'll be back in a little while."

I tried to protest, but I was too exhausted. What I was about to say really wasn't important anyway.

I reminded myself to bring some extra Antidotes on my journey. Being hit with Cross Poison and infected by a Pokemon's toxins was awful. My Pokemon should never have to go through this. I drifted off to sleep without even realizing it, thanks to the incredible pain meds.

Liz woke me up a little while later.

"Wes! Wes!"

"Yeah!" I called slowly, annoyed at waking up.

"Mawile and I are the perfect team! We just beat four trainers! And Mawile isn't even tired!"

Mawile pirouetted proudly.

"And check this out!" she handed me a card.

_Wes_, I read, _Kalos League Trainer Card._

"But I didn't help you catch Solrock!" I protested.

"Not this again," said Liz. She stopped bouncing up and down in excitement and looked me in the eyes, "You helped me during what has been the most important day of my life so far. And because of you I met Mawile. Also, look!" She held up a card that looked the one she had handed to me, "I'm going to challenge the League too! Battling with Mawile is just too perfect to resist!"

"Liz, I didn't keep my end of the deal," I said, handing the card back.

"You're so right," she said with obvious sarcasm, "I should just throw this away. It was totally your fault that psycho chienne sicced her Drapion on us. And you should have gone and caught a Solrock yourself while I followed behind you slipping on the blood and guts pouring out of your side."

I stared at Liz disapprovingly. Fair deals meant something to me. Why wouldn't she understand that?

"Stop saying that I should have caught a Solrock," she insisted, "You're going to make Mawile feel unwanted."

"Fine," I said, and took the card when she held it out to me again.

"Congratulations, Trainer!" she joked, bowing as she gave me the card.

"So," I began, "You're going on a journey too?"

"Yes!" she said, "I just talked to my mom. I think she's happy that I'm finally getting out of the house. Well, or she just wants me gone."

I didn't really know what to say to that. The closest thing I had to a parent was Madam Amedee. I would have to leave her to run the whole Wards' Home by herself. That realization hit me hard. When I had dreamed about going on a journey, it had always been just that: a dream. I hadn't seriously considered leaving Madam Amedee, and now that I did I was starting to really feel sad. My emotions must have shown on my face, because Liz addressed her next comment to them.

"It's not that bad," said Liz. What? Was she psychic? "Mom doesn't hate me. I just annoy her."

"No, not that," I said, realizing that she had completely misinterpreted my look of sadness. "Anyway, where are you going to go first?"

"I wanted to go to Geosenge Town. Then maybe Shalour City?"

She obviously didn't have a plan and was just going to make it up as she went along. Maybe that was the best way to do it.

"That sounds awesome," I said. It really did. "I'll probably challenge Grant as soon as they let me out of here.

"I know you can beat him, Wes, you're a natural," she said, then she paused and looked conflicted, "The doctors said you'll be ready to leave in a day or two." She then stood there and looked like she wanted to say something. I was pretty sure I knew what was on her mind. She wanted to go on her journey immediately, but didn't want to leave me.

"Go," I said, "Let's battle sometime. I'll be fine."

"Sure!" she said excitedly, released from the guilty burden of having to stay by my side while I recovered, "We should travel together again too."

"Have fun, Liz," I said, "Keep her out of trouble, Mawile."

I petted Mawile's head and waved to Liz. The two of them left.

I knew I wouldn't see them again for a long time.

So, in the first two days of my journey I had won a few battles, traveled down the coast and through a cave, picked a fight with a mysterious organization, been seriously poisoned by that same organization, and stayed in the hospital because of the serious poison.

Despite that, I felt great.

I had bonded with Bagon and made friends with Liz. I also felt like I had seen or learned something important, something to do with a memory. It was just a vague feeling, but it was nice.

The doctors came back in to check my side. I returned Bagon and winced at the slight pain in my side as the dose of painkillers started to wear off, looking forward to being able to get out of here and to my first Gym Battle.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey! If anybody is still reading my story after 4 Chapters, thank you. It means a lot just to have my stuff read. Also, I'd love a review, please. If you like it, leave a review. If you think each chapter is getting worse than the one before it, please review so I can get the quality back up. If you think my story sucks and you want the time you spent reading it back, review so I'll know how not to screw up next time. The review page is open to anybody, even if you don't have an account. As of today, I've had the story posted for around 24 hours and it says I've gotten around 20 readers, only one of whom read everything I have so far, so thank you to that one person and to everybody who got bored with it, leave a review and tell me what you didn't like.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Claws

Chapter 5

"Excellent," said Nurse Faith, assessing my wound, "You should be able to get out of here."

She gave me some painkillers and antibiotics. The toxins had been treated, so all that was left was the infection and the stitches.

After I told her the story of how it happened, which I was pretty sure she had already heard from Liz, she offered to report the group to the authorities. We both knew that was pointless, though. Kalos's police force was just weak. Because the region was so peaceful, Kalos's government had stopped funding the police. When the rare major case did happen, an officer from the international force had to be called in to handle it. However, the upside was that the money went to other places, like the hospital system, so even though the authorities wouldn't be able to do anything about Flare, they saved my life.

"So, the sutures," began Faith, "They should be able to come out in about five days, provided you don't hurt yourself again, so take it easy."

"Five days?" I repeated, "Do I have to stay around here until then?"

"You're planning to be somewhere else? Oh, you're a novice trainer," she said, reminding herself, "You're probably eager to get on the road again. You can stop by the hospitals in Lumiose, Coumarine, or Snowbelle. Just tell them what you need and they'll take care of it."

"Thanks," I said. Nurse Faith waved and left the room.

I looked at myself in the mirror, raising the new shirt Liz had given me to check the wound. It wasn't swollen or red anymore, and now was just a shiny, white strip of skin crossed with black stitches. I mentally thanked Liz again, running my hand over the League registration card in my pocket.

I waved to the receptionist as I left. Outside, it was a sunset in Ambrette town. Everything seemed too colorful after the sterile white of the hospital room that I had gotten used to after two days.

It was Monday evening and I hadn't seen Madame Amedee since Saturday morning, when I told her I was hanging out with friends that day. She had gotten a call from the hospital yesterday when I was brought in, and the Nurse told me she was really worried and wanted to come immediately, but couldn't. Before I challenged Grant, I would have to stop by the Wards' Home and tell her about my plans to go on a journey.

There were two was back to Cyllage City, where the Wards' Home and the Gym were. One was to exit through the aquarium and travel along the Muraille Coast. The other was to climb the mesas and walk along the cliffs to Connecting Cave, which to the cliff on the west side of Cyllage City, where the Gym was carved into the rocks. I really wanted to climb the mesas, because the view from up there was incredible and there were plenty of trainers to battle, but I had to rest my side, so I decided to take the coastal route.

Once I stepped out of the aquarium and smelled the damp, hot salt breeze of the ocean, I let Bagon out of his Pokeball. He had been in a cramped hospital room for two days waiting for me, so I figured he needed to stretch his legs.

As I walked, I saw trainers who I had battled a few days ago and waved. Bagon played in the sand around me. I looked up to the cliffs, wishing I was there. I could see other people climbing around, a few of whom were training with their Pokemon.

"Halt!" commanded a guy who was around my age, maybe a few years older, "Let us battle!"

Actually, although he seemed like a man he wasn't much older than I was.

"Ready, Bagon?" I asked, calling to the dragon that was splashing in the surf. The guy who had just challenged me to a battle took some kind of device from his pocket and fumbled with it, poiting it toward Bagon.

"What a splendid Pokemon!" exclaimed the guy pretentiously, "I summon Clauncher!"

His Clauncher appeared in the circle of light on the ground and he missed the Pokeball as it bounced back to him, stumbling in the sand to grab it. Meanwhile, Clauncher dove into the ocean. I wondered if it was trying to escape.

My opponent stood up again, trying and failing to brush the sand off of his clothes.

"Clauncher!" he called, looking around, "Where are you?"

Clauncher popped up and looked at him from the ocean, not impressed with its trainer.

"It's time to battle!" proclaimed the guy, striking a pose with the Pokeball raised above his head. The pose lost its effect when he stumbled and dropped the Pokeball. A second later, the vacant expression vanished and he became totally serious, "Stay in the water! Force Bagon to come to you!"

"Bagon, Leer! Don't get too close."

Bagon followed my orders and began to glare at the opposing Pokemon from the shore.

"Clauncher! Use the strategy we prepared! Zero-visual zone!" My opponent commanded in a confident voice.

Clauncher, still in the ocean, raised its pincers to the sky. Instantly a harsh downpour of rain started, escalating into a howling torrent of water. I couldn't see Bagon, Clauncher, or my opponent. I could barely see my own hand through the gray wall of water. I shivered and wondered if getting wet was bad for my wound.

"Perfect Rain Dance! Phase two! Fire at will!" The guy's loud voice was barely a whisper in the rainstorm.

I wanted to give Bagon a command, but I had no idea what to say, "If Clauncher comes close, use Bite! Don't let it get away!" I hoped Bagon heard me.

Instantly a bright orb of pure white light blasted out of the water and exploded with a brilliant flash. I could see it clearly through the rainstorm. Six more bursts followed in quick succession, and I was completely disoriented by the last one. Illuminating Bagon for a split second as a black shape frantically diving out of the way, the explosions had only confused me more.

"Great Flash Cannon!" I heard over the rain, "Now finish by sniping with Ice Beam!"

I couldn't see anything in the rain, so I had no idea what had just happened.

A few seconds later, the rain cleared, revealing a smug Clauncher and a frozen Bagon.

"Bagon!" I yelled, sprinting over to him, ignoring the pain in my side. I pulled out his Pokeball and quickly returned him. I would need to visit a Pokemon center soon.

"Congrats," I said, handing the soaking wet prize money to the winner. I wasn't happy about losing and giving up some of the money I had earned on Saturday, but I had to follow the rules, "Your strategy was incredible. We couldn't do anything."

"Thank you," he said, clumsily dropping some of the prize money. After a second of grabbing, he put a pile of muddy, wet, sandy money into the pocket of his pants that now were soaked through, "I've been working on that particular strategy for a while now. I'm glad it finally came together. I needed to find some strong TMs to make it work, though."

"TMs?" I repeated. I knew the general idea of a TM, a computer disc that could teach a move to a Pokemon, but I had never seen one before and I wasn't really sure how they were used.

"Yes," he said, answering nothing in particular and running a hand through the hair that was plastered to his forehead, "Actually, I don't need this one, and Clauncher can't use it. Would you like it? Consider it payment for a good battle if you want."

He reached into the bag he was carrying and removed a giant disc the size of a record. I hoped that it was colored orange and not actually rusting. I watched the disc carefully and caught it when he predictably accidently dropped it.

"Nice catch," he said.

I really wanted to take it, but I handed it back. I wasn't going to take charity.

"What? You don't want it?" he asked, dropping it for a second time. I caught it again, "Okay, If it stays in my possession I will inevitably break it, and, honestly, you need some new moves. Are you planning to challenge Grant?"

"Yeah," I answered.

"This move will be extremely effective against his Pokemon. It will deal heavy damage to his Pokemon and weaken them," he explained, but he could see that I was still going to give it back. "Come on, please take it! I'm the winner, you have to do what I say!"

"Okay," I agreed, "Fine. And thanks." I gave in, smiling at how desperate he seemed to give it to me.

"Yes! You listened!" he celebrated, "Someone else gave me that TM, so I thought it was only right to pass on the favor. Let's battle again sometime! My name is Caen."

"I'm Wes," I said, shaking the wet, sandy hand he offered, "Thanks again."

I heard Caen trip and fall as he walked away.

I was anxious to get to a Pokemon Center and heal Bagon, but I couldn't run with my side, so I just held Bagon's Pokeball tightly in my hand, my knuckles turning white. This had been the second time he had been knocked out, the second time I had let him down. Both times I had been unable to do anything, one time held captive by a Drapion and the next blinded by a howling rainstorm. I hoped that he wouldn't start hating me.

When I saw the bike track, I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn't even noticed that I was holding my breath. I looked up at the Gym's entrance as I passed it, wondering if Bagon and I were ready to take that challenge yet. Maybe we needed some more training, but first I needed to make sure Bagon didn't resent me. I thought about taking a day off and just spending time with my Pokemon.

I walked into the Pokemon Center. The whole building was impressive, a hospital created out of glass, full of comfortable chairs and hidden back rooms where the Nurse could tend to many injured Pokemon at once.

I swiped my League Registration card at the computer by the main Nurse's station. A Nurse appeared from the back rooms, quickly putting on a smile when she saw me. She took Bagon's Pokeball and placed it in the restoration device behind her. I had no idea how the machine worked, but it was impressive, a solid column of technology that ran from the floor to the ceiling. On the screen above the niche where Bagon's Pokeball had been placed, an image of the Dragon still with remnants of ice on his scales appeared in startlingly high definition. Areas on the scan glowed red, which I assumed designated problem areas. The whole column began to pulse with light.

A few seconds later, and after a musical tone, the Nurse returned the Pokeball to me and gave me some advice, "Take care to avoid having your Pokemon faint. If you are going on an extended journey, stock up in Potions and Revives, which you can buy over there," she paused and gestured to a blue market area behind her, where two people stood behind a counter, with medicine and travel goods on the shelves that lined the walls.

I counted my money and decided that I could afford to buy a few potions. I also discovered that Pokeballs were a lot cheaper than I thought and I bought two of them.

After that, I let Bagon out of his Pokeball and apologized. I asked him if he was angry or wanted to stop battling, remembering his earlier hatred and suspicion. I still didn't know the story behind his scar, and I was worried that if something like that ever happened again he would hate me forever.

Surprisingly, he wasn't angry at all, and somehow communicated by his body language and his growls that he wanted to battle again and get stronger. It seemed that he truly trusted me. I smiled and hugged him, telling him that we would do more training in a little while.

I was about to leave, but then I remembered something and thought that the Nurse would be a good person to ask about it.

"Excuse me," I said, catching the Nurse when she came back into the main room, "Do you know how to use TMs?"

"Check the Computer, it's not hard," she said, exhausted, "I have to get back to work."

I turned on the computer and followed the directions, releasing Bagon so he could watch with me. The TM contained an instructional video that showed the Pokemon how to perform the move. When the video finished, a pulsing sphere of rust-colored light blasted out of the screen and slowly floated down to envelop Bagon.

"That's supposed to happen, just so you know," said the Nurse, who had come back out again, this time with her hair standing straight up. She sounded even more exhausted than last time, "First time users generally panic when they see that. Don't worry, it's just technology based on the move Mimic. You're finished now, take your TM out."

With Bagon's new move, I felt ready to challenge the Gym, but first I had to see Madam Amedee. It was only a short walk from the Pokemon Center to the Wards' Home, and it took no time at all.

Stepping back into the Wards' Home, hearing the familiar creak of the rusty door, noticing that spot on the wall that we still hadn't fixed even though Mdm. Amedee had been trying for a few years, felt natural. I thought it would feel different after all that had happened to me in the past few days, but I still felt like I belonged here.

Madam Amedee was in the kitchen, preparing dinner, trying to keep the little ones from eating what she had cooked before it was ready. When she noticed me, she burst into a smile of relief and wiped a tear from her right eye, bustling over to hug me.

"I'm fine," I assured her.

"Let's talk after dinner," she said, holding back the emotion in her voice.

I helped her finish cooking the meal and sat down to dinner beside Matthew. I liked this food, cheap as it was, much better than what they had served me in the hospital. The little ones finished their meal and then clamored for more, even though they knew as well as Mdm. Amedee did that there was nothing left.

When we had finished the dishes and Matthew had been able to keep the little ones quiet for a few minutes, Madam Amedee began to ask me about what had happened.

"Why were you in the hospital?" she demanded, "You didn't come back on Saturday, but I let it go because I thought you were just being a teenager. The next morning, I hear that you are in the hospital! They told me that it was serious!"

"They took care of it," I said, unconsciously touching my stitches, "It's fine now. I'm sorry that you worried about me." I fell silent then, wanting to tell her about my journey but feeling guilty about what I had put her through.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"I went to Ambrette Town," I admitted, "I got hurt there and I had to go to the hospital, but I'm okay now." I clicked Bagon's Pokeball open in my hand, watching him materialize on the floor of the Wards' Home, "I know this is a bad time to mention it, but I'm planning on going on a journey."

Madame Amedee instantly softened, "I know that has always been your dream. Do you need anything from me? I can't get you any money, but I can send you with food and snacks. I think we have a spare sleeping bag somewhere. But you have to be careful!"

I smiled and hugged her. "Thank you," I said, and I really meant it. Madame Amedee cared about all of us like we were her own children.

I found the sleeping bag she was talking about and helped her wrap up some food so I could take it with me. I found a few clothes to take with me: some donated shirts, my favorite red t-shirt with a Pyroar pattern on it, a pair of brown cargo pants, and some secondhand shorts.

I packed my bag and slept in my bed one last time, ready to challenge Grant and begin my journey tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6: Stone

Chapter 6

I woke up early the next day and made breakfast. Madam Amedee joined me when I was almost done, nagging me about small things that I would have to worry about on my journey. I ate some breakfast and said a very emotional goodbye to her. She made me promise to write to her after I had been traveling for a few weeks.

I walked out of the Wards' Home, remembering that today was a school day for most people. I smirked about being able to miss it. I could probably catch up with no trouble when I wanted to apply to college, if I still wanted to after my journey.

On my way to the Gym, I released Bagon. I knew that we would have to beat the Gym's trainers, as well as other random trainers who were taking the challenge, in order to battle Grant himself. It would be a hard day of battling. I smirked again, thinking of my classmates who would be stuck behind desks while I challenged the mountain's fury.

I saw somebody who I knew climbing down the cliffs. It was Dominic, the rich jerk who I hated on principle but honestly didn't know at all. He walked to school? I could have sworn that I remembered him bragging about a personal limousine to some girl who seemed perfectly willing to pretend to be impressed.

He jumped to the ground and stumbled a little, looking around suspiciously. He then started running in the direction of what I guessed was the school building. He gave me a questioning I look as he passed, noticing Bagon, but didn't say anything to me.

I climbed the bike trail that ran up the cliffs and by the Gym, finding the Gym's entrance cut into the solid cliff face and marked by two columns. I returned Bagon and stepped inside.

The Gym was beautiful. When I stepped inside and out of the morning sunlight, it took my breath away. The Gym was a spire of smooth rock that began as green but slowly transitioned to orange as it rose, interrupted by patches of climbing wall that insulted the natural beauty of the rock face. At the top, Grant waited, looking down on the trainers beneath him. Behind him, a graceful waterfall emptied into the moat around the gym, which I crossed on a bridge carved from white stone. The entire Gym was enclosed in a cavern, part of which was circular and wrapped itself around the spire, with bright lights attatched in an industrial pattern. Behind Grant, the cavern receded away into pure darkness; only the stone outcropping that the water poured from was visible.

This was the Cyllage City Gym. I couldn't believe that I had lived here for so long without hearing anything about it.

On a shelf up above, I could see a girl challenger with a Fennekin battling a rugged man with a Roggenrola. I couldn't wait to start battling too.

I walked over to the patch of climbing wall on my right and ascended. The climbing wall was a series of plastic handholds on a sheet of metal painted like a mosaic of large, flat rocks. I stepped down onto a higher floor, noticing the carved paths that ringed the spire. Together with the patches of climbing wall, they formed an intricate labyrinth. I couldn't even see the path that led to the peak, so I decided to climb blindly and train on the way by battling Gym trainers.

"Hey!" I heard, as a trainer called out to me, "Up for a battle? I need a break after all this climbing and training!"

"Sure," I answered, noticing the size of the stretch of flat rock we were on and the locations of the staircases, "Go Bagon!"

"Dwebble!" shouted my opponent.

"Start with Leer!" I said.

Bagon followed my orders and glared at the rock Pokemon. I could clearly see the fear in its cute eyes.

"Faint Attack!" called the Gym trainer.

Dwebble blurred out of sight. A second later, I saw it appear behind Bagon and deliver a blow with its claws. Bagon didn't seem to take much damage.

"Rock Smash!" I wondered Bagon would use his new move.

Bagon leapt into the air and delivered a flying smash to Dwebble's shell. Cracks appeared and the receiving Pokemon was smashed backwards into the rock.

My opponent swore quietly and ordered Rock Blast. Dwebble moved quickly and sent a volley of stone missiles toward Bagon.

"Get out of there," I ordered, jumping aside myself as a stray rock flew at me, "Climb the staircase!"

Bagon scrambled up the staircase on my right, managing to avoid most of the stones. Bagon was now in perfect position to finish it.

"Jump up onto that rock!" I pointed, waiting until he followed my command and was right above Dwebble before saying, "Rock Smash!"

Bagon leapt down, using the fall to increase the power of his strike. Dwebble crumpled under his blow, a powerful knockout.

The Gym trainer recalled his Pokemon and shrugged, saying, "No pain, no gain." He handed me the prize money and I used a potion on Bagon before recalling him.

I moved on, walking up the staircase on the right. There were two paths to choose from. Both led higher to where the rock changed color from the blue of the ocean to the orange of a sunset. I chose the one that led to an orange platform and started climbing. I jumped down when I came around the corner and realized that it led nowhere.

I held my side. The climbing was starting to hurt, so I found the painkillers that the Nurse had given me and swallowed one. It didn't start working immediately, so I decided to ignore the pain and keep going.

I followed the path I was on, which twisted around the mountain. When I had found another patch of climbing wall and was about to start ascending, a Gym trainer stopped me.

"Only those with a noble spirit can challenge the Cyllage City Gym!" she declared.

She sent out a Solrock, which made me think of Liz. Liz would be somewhere near the Menhir trail by now, or in Geosenge Town. I sent out Bagon, ordering Leer and then Bite. Solrock countered with long-range attacks like Psywave and Fire Spin, but Bagon struggled through the fiery vortex and won.

My opponent sent out Lunatone next. Lunatone was completely fresh, while Bagon looked tired from the battle with Solrock. I called him over and used a potion, but that Lunatone time to fire off a Psywave. Bagon eventually managed to win, but it was an ugly battle and I had to use a few more potions.

"Your spirits are very noble," decided the Gym trainer as she handed me the prize money, "The Gym was waiting for a trainer and Pokemon just like you."

I used a potion on Bagon and recalled him, noticing that I only had two of the healing items left. I would have to stop by a Pokemon Center after my challenge and replenish my supplies.

I climbed the wall behind the Gym Trainer, stepping down onto orange stone. That meant that I was near the top. I looked down: from this high up, the view was impressive. I could clearly see the small lake of ice-blue water formed by the relentless waterfall. I could see the water pouring out of the lake and into the darkness below on both sides. I guessed that was so it didn't overflow.

"Admiring our mountain, huh?" asked a deep voice. I turned to see a rugged mountain man walking up to me, "Y'know what? Climbing is a lot like solving a puzzle. It's a game of logic!"

He called out a heavy Rhydon, then a study Nosepass, and finally a towering Onix. Bagon and I were able to defeat all three of them, and the battle was easier than the earlier one with Solrock and Lunatone. Bagon was starting to truly master his Rock Smash.

"You're a tricky one! Truly a mountain that I couldn't surmount," declared my opponent as he recalled the unconscious rock serpent that took up most of the small shelf we were standing on. I accepted his money gladly, planning on using it for potions, and maybe lunch. I was starting to get hungry.

I walked around behind him to get to a tiny sliver of climbing wall and ascended. I stepped down and then climbed a staircase. Grant waited for me at the top. Behind him the waterfall roared its way down from the rock shelf. A rainbow was faintly visible in the spray.

I walked toward Grant, noticing the logo of the League carved into the ground beneath us.

"I've been waiting in eager anticipation!" said Grant, "What have I been waiting for?"

He paused. I wondered if he wanted me to answer, but he kept talking.

"For a worthy challenger to appear! It's quite an achievement to have climbed all the way up here. Very impressive actually!" He ran his along his hair, touching the colorful rocks that had been woven into it, "I have a feeling that our battle will turn out to be worth the wait!"

He stretched and I heard a sickening cracking noise, "Let's Begin! Tyrunt!"

Tyrunt was a Pokemon I had never seen before. At first glance, it looked like a larger, earth-colored Bagon with stronger armor and a crueler jaw.

"A battle of Dragons," said Grant calmly.

I hoped that Tyrunt didn't know any Dragon moves, because Dragons could demolish each other in seconds using their own moves.

"Bite!"

Grant and I looked up at each other in surprise for a second. We had both called the same move. Bite was a Dark move, not a Dragon move, so neither of them would do massive damage. Either Tyrunt didn't know any Dragon moves, or Grant was holding onto one for surprise to use later.

Our Pokemon jumped at each other and started snapping, their jaws delivering blows. When they backed away, neither seemed to be particularly damaged.

"Bite," called Grant again. Bagon looked at me expectantly as Tyrunt approached him again. I waited for a second, until Tyrunt opened its mouth, and then called, "Rock Smash! Uppercut!"

Bagon followed my orders and slammed the opposing Pokemon's mouth shut. The attack was extremely effective against a Rock Pokemon. Tyrunt also winced and dropped its guard, giving Bagon an opening.

"Rock Smash!" I called again, deciding to strike while Tyrunt's defense was lowered. The attack worked perfectly and Tyrunt slumped, knocked out.

Grant recalled it and threw another Pokeball.

"Amaura!"

Amaura was another Pokemon I had never seen before. It was small, with cute eyes and yellow and red crests on top of its head. Its body was the light blue color of the waterfall.

"Bagon! Let's do this!"

Bagon appeared and roared as loudly as he could.

"Start with Le-"

Grant cut me off and said simply, "Rock Tomb."

Amaura roared. The sound was chilling. Suddenly heavy rocks were falling near Bagon.

"Get out of there! Don't let them trap you!" I shouted, knowing that the point of Rock Tomb was to slow the opponent down with heavy boulders and then finish them while they were trapped. I suddenly got an idea, "Rock Smash! Destroy the rocks!"

It worked perfectly. Bagon demolished the Rock Tomb and stood triumphant, dramatically framed by the rubble in the falling dust.

"Nice," complimented Grant, "Icy wind."

The fins on Amaura's head glowed blue and started smoking. A second later, I realized that it wasn't smoke and was really frozen air. Amaura shrieked and froze the air with brutal speed and loud cracks, blasting directly at Bagon.

The move made contact and Bagon roared. I could see that it had done some serious damage. It was an Ice move that would target his weakness, I realized too late. I couldn't let another one of those moves connect or the battle was over.

"Rock Smash Amaura! Finish this! You can do it!" I called, deciding that a physical fighting move would be the perfect offense against a Pokemon with Rock and Ice abilities like Amaura.

Bagon roared and charged at Amaura. He was too badly damaged by Icy Wind to sprint though, and ended up struggling to reach the opposing Pokemon in slow motion.

"Icy Wind." Grant ruthlessly called another move while my Pokemon with a huge speed decrease struggled to reach his. Amaura's fins started to glow.

"No! Bagon, don't let this connect! Do whatever you have to, just stop it! I believe in you!" I wasn't sure whether I was ordering or begging by the end of that, but I knew that I didn't want my first Gym Battle to end like this. The air started to freeze, and, at the same time, Bagon's throat started to glow.

Amaura unleashed Icy Wind again, the relentlessly fast move screaming through the air toward my dragon. Bagon opened its mouth and spat burning Embers in response, melting the move.

"Great!" I exclaimed, "You used Ember!" I don't know exactly when Bagon had learned the move, but he seemed to know it now. As Pokemon grew and gained more experience, they learned new moves, a fact which I was incredibly grateful for at that moment.

Bagon kept going and smashed into Amaura with its fist, which now glowed with power. The opposing Pokemon crumpled and went flying off the platform. Grant aimed his Pokeball and recalled it in midair.

I crouched down and hugged Bagon, who roared in victory, deafening me.

Grant turned back to me, smiling, and began to speak. My ears were ringing from Bagon's roar, but I could still hear him, "There are some things in life that seem out of reach no matter how hard you try. However, it's important that you never give up—No matter the opponent or the odds. I could tell from our battle that you and your Pokemon really understand that. To commemorate such an impressive show of teamwork, please accept the Cliff Badge!"

Grant held out the beautiful badge. It was a design of earth and sand-colored squares in a staircase pattern on a silver background. I took it, showed it to Bagon, and put it into a secure pocket in my backpack.

"And that's not all. You also get…this!" He gave me a stone-colored TM and continued speaking, "It's Rock Tomb. You saw it during our battle. With this move, a Pokemon can hurl rocks at its opponent, not only inflicting damage but also lowering the target's speed and preventing it from moving. Now that you've become a master wall climber and conquered this Gym, it's time you thought about how to apply your skills in other areas! Think about how you can improve yourself, as well as the Pokemon that are always by your side. When you find the answer, that's when you'll truly be able to smile! I recommend you put your skills to the test against the Santalune Gym next. To reach it, go south from Lumiose City. Go onward, and climb ever higher!"


	7. Chapter 7: Serpents

Chapter 7

I stretched as I left the Gym, savoring my first badge. It was the afternoon by this point, and I was hungry.

I stopped by the Pokemon Center first to heal Bagon and then get some food for him. I had no idea what was in the food, but it was prepared by the Nurses who ran the Center, so I trusted it. I waited while Bagon ate in the small area of the Pokemon Center with tables, running my hands along my badge. After Bagon was finished, I went to the café and ordered a small, inexpensive lunch for myself, not wanting to spend the money that I would need later.

After Bagon and I ate, we took a small nap in the sun and then decided to continue on to our next destination, Santalune City. I had checked the map in the Pokemon Center for the best way to get there. I should go through Connecting Cave to Rivière Walk, follow that path to Camphrier Town, then take Versant Road to Lumiose City, and then proceed south along Parterre way to Santalune City. It would take a few days, and after my Gym Battle I would probably be able to stop in the Lumiose Hospital and have my stitches taken out.

It was time to start. I walked up the Bike Trail as a shortcut to the mesas where the entrance to Connecting Cave was, not being able to climb because of my side. I looked down over the beach as I walked along the ledge. The view really was incredible. Up ahead, I could see wild Pokemon playing around the cliffs and tall grass, and the growling and hissing sounds of a Zangoose fighting a horde of Seviper echoed loudly from a particularly tall patch ahead of me.

"You can do it! Don't let them win!" I heard a familiar voice from up ahead. Who was that? Maybe it somebody from school. After all, school had let out during my nap and some of the people from school trained on the mountains.

I walked carefully into the grass, which was so tall that it blinded me and smacked my face with every step. Suddenly something heavy and scaly thumped into me, knocking me over. I lifted the object, which turned out to be an unconscious Seviper, off of me and rushed through the patch of grass. On the grass-free mesa ahead a Zangoose spun and jumped dramatically, its claws slashing glinting ribbons through the air. Around it, think purple lines that were the horde of Seviper swirled and struck at every weakness they could find. The Zangoose was breathing heavily and parts of its fur were matted with blood, the signature of a wild battle where trainers weren't in control and the Pokemon were fighting for survival.

Dominic knelt off to one side, sweaty hair plastered to his forehead, sleeves of his torn shirt rolled up, arm and bleeding. He had a Seviper pinned under his knee and was looking at the Zangoose with fear in his eyes. "Watch behind you!" he called.

I thought for a second that it was weird to see a rich, arrogant guy like Dominic getting his hands dirty and actually doing something instead of getting his parents to throw money at him and inviting stupid girls to wild parties.

I looked at the circling Seviper and at Zangoose and Dominic and decided to help the noble lone Pokemon. I sent out my Pokemon to help.

"Bagon! Back up Zangoose!" Bagon nodded and rushed at a Seviper right as another one of the Poisonous snakes leapt at Zangoose from behind, weaving through the cage of slashing and sinking its fangs into the back of Zangoose's neck.

"Ember!" I called, pointing. Bagon followed my directions and burned the biting Seviper. Zangoose stumbled with a dazed expression on its face and fell to the ground, instantly swallowed by a mass of writhing Seviper. Dominic ran to my side with a disgusted expression on my face.

"How do we save him?" asked Dominic, his cocky persona gone, turning to me for advice.

How do we get the Zangoose away from the horde before he is torn to pieces? I would have to make him disappear to do that. I suddenly got an idea and took a Pokeball from my bag.

Dominic nodded once and before I could throw the Pokeball took it from my hand and flipped the switch on the back to scan mode. He lined up the beam with the white Pokemon whose movements were growing weaker by the second and threw the ball. It swallowed Zangoose into a mass of white threads and dissolved the twitching Pokemon, shaking and then clicking, releasing a mass of sparks.

"Bagon, grab the ball!" I yelled. Being angry that Dominic had just stolen my Pokeball could wait. Now the Seviper were glaring at us angrily, their fangs and eyes dyed red.

Bagon ran over and gave Dominic the ball instead of me. I frowned and then started running, gesturing for Dominic to follow me. Bagon tripped behind us and I recalled him quickly as the horde of Seviper jumped in the air, ready to land on my Pokemon. I sprinted to the Connecting Cave entrance, Dominic following me, my side sending jolts of pain with each step.

Ahead, the ground turned uneven, fragmenting from a solid shelf on the side of a cliff to a bunch of randomly arranged pillars of rock. Jumping from one to another would be extremely hard. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but the entrance to Connecting Cave was ahead and a squirming purple mass was behind, so I clenched my teeth and jumped.

Amazingly, I made it. I turned around to see Dominic following my footsteps. He tripped on the final pillar and started to fall. Almost instinctively, my hand shot out and caught his arm. I screamed at the pain; it felt like my side tore open. I somehow pulled Dominic up, who held Zangoose's Pokeball in a white knuckled grip in his hand.

We stumbled the last few meters into the cave and then fell slack against the walls, breathing heavily. We looked at each other and laughed pointlessly for a minute, filled with relief.

When we had both calmed down a little, I took out my potions, antidotes, and bandages and told Dominic to send out Zangoose. I started treating the Pokemon, relieved to see that his wounds were not as bad as they had seemed. Even the bite in the back of his neck was shallow. Bagon had burned the Seviper off before it could do much damage.

"Thanks, man," said Dominic. He sounded sincere, very different than usual.

"So is Zangoose yours or what?" I asked. He and Bagon had behaved like a team before he caught it, but I had never heard him bragging about it at school. I was sure a guy like Dominic would have made a huge production of having a Zangoose.

"No," Dominic answered, then glanced at the Pokeball in his hand and added, "I guess he is now."

"Yeah," I agreed, finishing the last area with a potion and watching the wounds melt off Zangoose's skin, "He should be fine in a few hours."

"Really?" asked Dominic. He had seen Zangoose buried in the mound of Seviper too, and couldn't believe the Pokemon would make such a quick recovery.

"Yeah," I confirmed, "You wouldn't believe how fast potions work. I wish they worked on people too." I wiped the red hand that had just touched my side on the floor. This would set my healing back a few days, "Just return Zangoose to the Pokeball and let him heal."

Zangoose looked up at me with thanks in his eyes and vanished in a circle of white light. Dominic pocketed the Pokeball.

I popped a painkiller, then gestured for Dominic to hold out his torn arm and started bandaging that.

"You took down a Seviper," I said, making sure there was no poison in the wound before I started wrapping it, "Nice."

"I had to save Zangoose, y'know?" he said, "Is that blood on your shirt?"

"Yeah," I said. I had been giving that answer a lot. I finished his arm and then started on my side.

"Dude! What is that from?" he asked, when he saw me pull up my shirt and start on my side.

"A Drapion slashed me," I answered, "So, I'm going to Camphrier Town next. I think you owe me a Pokeball."

"I'll come with," Dominic said quickly, "I don't want to go back to Cyllage."

I looked at him questioningly, and he quickly started trying to find a reason.

"Um, that group of Seviper is still out there. Don't want to go back that way, y'know."

"Sure," I said, "Don't you live in Cyllage City though?"

"Yeah, I live there," he agreed, and the look on his face said that he really didn't want to go back. Was this Seviper attack his big chance to escape something? What would he want to escape from? Maybe it was some drama from school, or maybe his parents were after him for something. Either way, I didn't care that much.

"Let's go then," I said, getting up and making sure my bandages were secure. I would be traveling with Dominic for a while.

Traveling with Dominic: If I had heard I would be doing that a week ago, I would have laughed. There was no way I would have stuck with that guy, who I kind of hated on principle. But seeing him now, a guy who had just risked his life to help a wild Bagon, a guy whose clothes were so badly damaged you couldn't tell he was rich, I started to change my mind about him.

"So how do you know that Zangoose anyway?" I asked, curious, finding something to do while we walked through the cave. Dominic and Zangoose seemed to have a strong bond before Dominic caught him, so I wondered about that.

"I go up to the cliffs and feed him, train with him, and just hang out with him sometimes," answered Dominic, "Like before school and on weekends."

I had seen Dominic up on the cliffs this morning. I guess he had been hanging out with Zangoose. It was kind of weird though: a popular rich guy hanging out with wild Pokemon? I was kind of interested now, but before I could ask more an awful screech heralded the appearance of a purple bat.

"Is that a wild Zubat?" asked Dominic.

I sent out Bagon and ordered Bite. Zubat winced at the attack, then flew directly above Bagon and started to shriek. The sound seemed to resonate inside my head and I started seeing double.

"Ember! Knock it down!" I called. Zubat stopped making that sound when the flame touched it and started spiraling lower.

Bagon shrugged off some charging attack Zubat did and then executed a perfect Headbutt, finishing the battle.

"Great job," I said, returning Bagon.

"Nice, dude," complimented Dominic, "So you're a trainer now?"

"Yeah," I answered, "I'm on a journey to challenge the League. I just got my first badge today." I pulled it out and showed it to him, unable to resist bragging about my badge.

"That's cool," said Dominic, "Did you battle Grant?"

I nodded.

"So are you battling Clemont next? You're going to Lumiose, right?"

"Clemont?" I repeated. I had no idea who that was, "Grant said that I should battle the Santalune Gym leader next, so I'm going there."

"What's it like?" he asked, "Going on a journey? I've always wanted to try it, y'know."

I nodded. I actually did know, having dreamed about going on a journey for a long time myself. "It's crazy," I began, thinking about the past few days, "I've only been traveling since Saturday, and I've already beaten a Gym Leader, had to stay in the hospital, and rescued you. But battling is incredible, and being with your Pokemon is the best. You should go on a journey too."

Dominic looked at me and asked, "Getting a registration for the League and a Pokemon Center membership costs a lot, right?"

I nodded. According to Liz, it didn't cost as much as I had expected, but it was still a large amount of money.

"We need to get to Camphrier town before they freeze my credit cards then," said Dominic, looking down.

Before I could ask what that was about, a blast of blue fire hit the cave wall beside me. Blocking our path, a small green Pokemon with angry, burning red eyes blew bright smoke from its jaw.

"It's a wild Axew!" called Dominic expositionally, sounding like the text from some video game.

I threw a Pokeball, illuminating the cave with the harsh light. "Keep your guard up, Bagon! Don't let it hit you with Dragon moves!"

Axew seemed to take my words as a cue to attack again. It raised its fists into a familiar pattern, which I recognized as the set up for dual chop. Then it did something unexpected and breathed fire onto its fists, lighting them with the same blue-green flame that it had just breathed at me. That wasn't how Dual Chop normally looked.

"Bagon! Avoid it!"

Bagon managed to get out of the way of one of its blows, but the other fist connected solidly. Bagon sprawled in a heap, now burning with the sea-colored fire.

"That sucks," said Dominic, "You've got it, little dude! Don't give up!"

Bagon tried to smile confidently, but didn't want to open his mouth while he was covered in fire.

"Headbutt!" I called, hoping that the fire would spread back to Axew. Axew saw the move coming and blasted Bagon with Dragon Rage.

Bagon was now stumbling forward, dizzy. Axew raised its hands, preparing for another Dual Chop. I reached in my bag for another potion, but I had used them all on Zangoose and my hand only found the curve of a Pokeball. I couldn't let Bagon lose, but without a potion, there was nothing I could do. No! Bagon was going to go down in flames, after being so amazing earlier today when we saved Zangoose. When we saved Zangoose! I got an idea and switched the Pokeball to scan mode, running the beam over the green Dragon who had now lit its hands on fire and was raising them ominously.

I threw the Pokeball at Axew. When the sphere touched Axew, it flew open and unleashed a helix of ribbons, pure white light, that blossomed and spread outward in slow motion like the tentacles of some bizarre underwater plant. The light touched Axew and stuck fast, eventually wrapping around the wild Pokemon until its whole body was enveloped. The Pokeball then swallowed Axew's mummified form and closed impossibly fast. It started to shake back and forth, finally bursting a shower of sparks.

"I caught Axew," I mumbled, mostly to myself, "Great job, Bagon!"

Bagon smiled, the flames starting to go out. I returned him, smiling. I walked over and picked up the Pokeball that contained my new Pokemon.

"Nice catch, man," congratulated Dominic.

I stared down at my new Pokemon, "Welcome to the team."


	8. Chapter 8: Recruits

Chapter 8

Night was falling when we left the cave, and the sky, a deep purple that glowed with the last shreds of the sun's light, was reflected in the beautiful river that ran the length of the road and inspired its name.

I was starting to get tired, but Dominic wanted us to keep going.

"You want your Pokeball, right? We have to get to Camphrier Town before they freeze my credit cards."

"So you're going to walk all the way to Camphrier Town to buy me one Pokeball and then go back to Cyllage City?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Camphrier Town. I just might not go back."

"Isn't your family there?" I asked, totally confused.

"They are. And they'll freeze my credit card if I don't come home, so we've got to pick up the pace."

I looked at him questioningly.

"I just really don't want to go back," he explained, "Maybe I should go on a journey like you. It would help me avoid them."

"If you want to challenge the League, you have to register," I said, "I don't know what's going on with you and your family, but a journey is about Pokemon and Zangoose seems to like you. You two made a pretty badass team against those Seviper. You should totally do it." I didn't really know what to say, but the few days of my journey had been incredible, and what I said about the bond between him and Zangoose was definitely true. I decided to ignore the issue of his family drama, not knowing anything about it.

"Yeah," he said, "y'know, I'll do it." He smiled.

It took us about an hour and a half to get to Camphrier Town. I battled painters, working on beautiful pictures of the nearby castle, with Bagon and Axew, getting to know my new Pokemon. The castle that the painters were modeling with had a sign outside saying _Battle Chateau_, but it the doors were locked, so we couldn't get in to see what it was.

I was curious about Axew's burning Dual Chop. I had my new Pokemon perform the move with and without the fire, noticing that the attack did far more damage with Axew's signature twist.

"Dual Chop! Burn it!" I called. I watched as Axew's move knocked out Smeargle in two flaming hits. My opponent put down his paintbrush and reached for the prize money.

I decided to ask a Nurse about the move the next day.

Eventually, we arrived at the wall that surrounded the small town. The top of a small castle was clearly visible above the three-meter brick wall, illuminated in moonlight.

We walked through the gate, which was little more than a gap in the wall. Camphrier Town was incredibly small, ringed in a stone palisade and half-filled with the small castle. Dominic and I found the Pokemon Center and I used my card to get Axew, Bagon, and Zangoose healed. The Nurse wanted to keep Zangoose overnight to make sure he was okay, and I agreed with her, looking at the brave Pokemon who was now wrapped in bandages. Dominic went to buy a new shirt, and ended up buying a bag and filling it with travel supplies like clothes, Pokeballs, potions, a sleeping bag, and a toothbrush. He obviously wasn't planning to go back. He registered for the League at the Pokemon Center, then I needed sleep. He proudly gave me the Pokeball he owed me, and I smiled.

Dominic offered to pay for a hotel room, saying that he wanted to spend his credit card now while he still could. I protested a little, not wanting anybody to pay for my room, but, being tired, I gave in. The room was really comfortable and I quickly fell asleep.

I woke up early as I had always done in the Ward's Home, but something was missing. I felt like a part of my routine was gone, and I had slept too well. I realized that I hadn't had a nightmare, hadn't seen that blazing house crash to the ground, hadn't heard the screams of my worse dreams, since I had met Axew. I smiled.

A ray of light crept in through the window, which wasn't completely covered by the flimsy curtain, and landed on the sleeping face of Dominic. I shifted my weight, slowly getting out of bed without making any noise. In the bathroom, I gently removed my shirt and the bandages that I had wrapped my side in yesterday. I worked off the last off the cloth, which was slightly stained with blood, and saw my side. I recoiled and decided that I needed to shower so that the dried stains of yesterday's injury, when I had reached down instinctively to save Dominic and screamed at the pain in my side, didn't cake around my wound.

I took a shower, hoping that the sound didn't wake Dominic. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my side without the dried blood, noticing how good it looked. The wound was closing and starting to scar at the edges.

I got dressed, putting on my Pyroar shirt and a pair of cargo pants. After that Dominic woke up too, and after he complained tiredly about something, we went down and had breakfast. He was wearing a new shirt and jeans and a red jacket, his old shirt shredded by a horde of Seviper.

We picked up Zangoose from the Pokemon Center. He looked great, completely healed, with all of the bandages removed and his wounds closed. I took the opportunity to show the nurse my Axew's flaming dual chop.

"Wild Pokemon battle for food and territory," said the Nurse, "And sometimes for love. They can learn moves and create strategies without the help of trainers. It seems like your Axew created this strategy all on her own. You're lucky to find a battling prodigy like this. Raise her well."

"I will," I said, looking at Axew practice its-her, according to the Nurse- move on the air. I could tell just by watching her that she loved battling. She looked up at me with a challenge in her eyes: she wanted me to earn her respect. I could tell that she thought of me as a coach who would help her reach her potential as an athlete.

"We'll reach the top together," I said, crouching down to talk to her face to face, "We'll be champions."

She nodded at me, blue tongues of fire curling from the edge of her jaw.

Dominic had been with Zangoose, getting some food from the cafeteria area of the Center. Axew and Bagon would be hungry right now, so I got them some food as well. Bagon hungrily devoured his while Axew cautiously ate hers after examining each morsel.

"How's Zangoose?" I asked, sitting down beside Dominic.

"He's completely fine! Thanks a lot for what you did yesterday, man," he said, thanking me sincerely.

"No problem," I said, "I'm glad I could help him."

"Do you mind if we come with you guys to Santalune? I want to start challenging Gyms, and I don't want to double back," he said.

I couldn't think of any reason to say no. Maybe if Dominic went back to acting like a rich jackass he might get slightly annoying, but he had been cool so far.

"Sure," I said. Our Pokemon had finished eating, so I returned Bagon and Axew and said, "Let's go."

We left Camphrier Town through a gate in the east wall. The morning sun shone brightly in our faces as we walked down Versant Road. This Route was just a hill covered in skating rails and half pipes, and people on roller skates and skateboards spun and jumped all around us.

As we walked closer to Lumiose city, the grass and flowers of the Route were devoured by concrete and metal, and the skating park grew more impressive and more covered in graffiti. Along the way, Dominic and I battled skating trainers, alternating who would accept their challenge. Unlike me, Dominic needed no coaching during his first official battle, and he and Zangoose fought extremely well together. Zangoose used an extremely powerful Crush Claw and a lightning fast series of slashes called Fury Cutter to quickly defeat his opponents.

"How long have you been battling with Zangoose?" I asked as another skater's Pokemon went down before Zangoose's attacks.

"I've known Zangoose for years," answered Dominic, stroking the fur on his Pokemon's head and applying a potion, "We battle wild Pokemon together sometimes. Being the Trainer is something new for me, though."

Remembering their fight against the Seviper, I guessed that they had literally fought wild Pokemon together, attacking side by side.

Finally, after what seemed like about two hours, I could see the gate to Lumiose City ahead. The skating park had grown even more impressive, and now metal tracks crossed the sky above us and left us in the shadows. The concrete on either side was now covered in layers of spray paint.

In the shadows to my left, I could see a hunched over man in a trench coat handing pills to two skaters, both with nearly shaved heads and ripped clothes.

"Solfanaria," said Dominic, who had noticed where I was looking and seen them too, "I heard that people sold it around Lumiose."

"Solfanaria?" I repeated. That sounded familiar.

"Yeah, I heard about it at school. It's a new drug. Apparently anybody who tries it ends up overdosing and dying after just a few times. You'd have to be crazy to buy some," he said, "I don't know why they're still selling it. There was a lot of hype about it last year, but then everybody heard about what happened if you take it."

"Did your friends try some?" I asked. It would be just like a rich guy to throw a party with deadly drugs.

"Who?" he asked.

I turned back to him in surprise, "Those people who you hang out with some time at school. The guys who brag about how much they've been drinking. You invite them to your parties, right?"

"Yeah, those guys. They're stupid," he answered, "But I've never thrown any parties."

"Really?" I said, curious now, "You've been to some of them, right?"

"No," he admitted, shocking me. I had even snuck away from the Ward's Home a few times and gone to those parties. I hadn't really enjoyed them, though, and I'd never seen any drugs there.

"No way," I said. Maybe I didn't know Dominic at all.

The man and his two customers noticed us looking and scattered into the skating tunnels and pipes like a group of scared Skorupi.

"Come on, the gate's right there," said Dominic, clearly uncomfortable. He stared walking away quickly. I shook off my confusion and followed him.

I followed him through the gate, waving to a receptionist who welcomed us to Lumiose City.

I took my first step into the city at the heart of Kalos and stopped, my eyes following the tower in the center, tracing its curves as it reached for the sky. All around me, people walked in small groups from place to place, the orange murmur of their conversations blending together pleasantly. Bikes rang bells as they crossed the streets, weaving through the buildings and alleys. Pokemon were everywhere, accompanying people, running wild in the streets with huge grins, in the trees above. Every so often, a car passed slowly, allowing its passengers to take in the feeling of Lumiose City.

"Wes!" called Dominic. He had kept walking without me. I jogged to catch up with him.

"What's up?" I asked.

He looked down at the ground and was about to answer, but harsh voices from ahead interrupted him. We both fell silent and turned our heads to look at what was going on.

Five people in dark, ripped clothes surrounded a single man in a lab coat, forcing him against the wall of the narrow alley.

"See, Prof, why're ya bein' this way? We aren't askin' for a lot," said a tall man, wearing trashed clothes and sporting a shaved head.

"Yeah, just give 'em to us," agreed a woman.

"No, no, I can't, you see," answered the handsome man in a lab coat, stumbling backwards, "They aren't mine. People have just leant them to me."

"Well then that makes it easier, right?" pressed the punk man, stepping forward, "Just say ya lost 'em and hand 'em over."

"That's Professor Sycamore," said Dominic.

I nodded in recognition. I had seen him on TV before. He was the foremost expert in matters of Pokemon in the Kalos region.

"Looks like he needs some help," said Dominic, "Let's go."

I caught Dominic's arm, stopping him, "Are you insane? There are five of them! What can we do?"

"There are five of us, too," said Dominic, holding his Pokeball and nodding at my backpack where I kept mine. He slipped out of my grip and ran forward, shouting, "Get away from him!"

"Dominic, no!" I yelled. The punks turned to face us, their expression of surprise becoming sneers when they saw who had threatened them. I winced and realized that I had to back him up. I ran up beside Dominic and pretended to be confident.

Sycamore took advantage of the thugs' distraction to slip away from the wall they had pinned him against.

"Look who's tryn' to challenge the Lumiose Gang!" sneered the man at the center of the group, "Sedna, Nix, keep those two kids outta here."

A man in a black jacket studded with metal spikes and a woman with a partially shaved head and hair dyed pink stepped forward. I didn't know what they were about to do, trying to be ready for anything. To my surprise, they each threw a Pokeball, summoning a Krokorok and a Vullaby.

"A Pokemon battle?" I said, surprised. I can do this.

"Let's battle together," said Dominic. I nodded.

Bagon and Zangoose appeared in front of us. They looked back at us and then at each other.

"Vullaby, Aerial Ace!" shouted the female thug.

"Krokorok, use Crunch!" ordered the male thug.

Vullaby flew into the air, charging Bagon at absurdly high speed. The move connected, but Bagon was still okay. Meanwhile, Krokorok delivered Crunch directly to Zangoose, but Dominic's Pokemon grabbed and held its jaw open. Krokorok roared and its saliva went flying, but it couldn't break Zangoose's hold.

"Bagon," I called, deciding to take advantage of the situation, "Rock Smash!"

Bagon leapt into the air and struck Krokorok, who couldn't avoid the attack. Zangoose grunted but kept its hold.

"Again!" I said.

"Keep it steady, Zangoose!" cheered Dominic.

"Sedna, give me a hand!" called the male thug. Krokorok took another Rock Smash and seemed weaker.

"Vullaby, do Foul Play!" called Sedna, the female thug.

Bagon slammed Krokorok with one more Rock Smash, knocking out the Ground and Dark Pokemon. Vullaby flew past Bagon, hitting him with a shadowy shock wave that sent him flying into the alley wall with the force of a Rock Smash.

"No way!" yelled the male thug, "Ya beat my Krokorok!" He furiously returned his Pokemon.

"Zangoose, Crush Claw!" called Dominic.

"Get outta the way, Vullaby!" called Sedna.

Vullaby started to lift off, trying to avoid the attack by flying away.

"Ember!" I called, "Knock it down!"

Vullaby fell, hit by Bagon's Ember. Zangoose followed with Crush Claw, finishing the battle.

"Good job," said Professor Sycamore, "Now, let's leave."

Dominic and I turned in surprise. We hadn't noticed him sneak away from the gang and get behind us.

"Hurry!" said Sycamore, pointing to the taxi that was waiting right outside the alley, "Get in!"

Dominic and I returned our Pokemon while the gang leader yelled and pulled a knife.

"Nobody beats the Lumiose Gang!" he screamed, spit flying from his lips, his bulging eyes trained on us.

Dominic, Sycamore, and I sprinted to the cab. The driver saw who was chasing us and hit the gas instantly. We left the raving gang with a loud screech of tires.

Sycamore told the driver to take us to his lab and paid him extra. I was still full of adrenaline, and my heartbeat was audible. It was hard to sit still, crammed into the backseat that smelled sickeningly sweet like Spritzee perfume. Sycamore began to thank us.

"I cannot express how grateful I am," said the Professor, "You two truly saved me back there. Your battle was excellent, and it gave me time to call this cab."

"You're welcome, Professor," said Dominic with a slight bow and jabbing me with his elbow because of the how closely we were crammed together in the back of the cab, "I'm just glad you're safe."

He was turning on the high-class charm, and I snorted in disgust.

"Are you okay, Professor?" I asked.

"I'm fine, thanks to the two of you," he said, smiling genuinely, "Those thugs wanted me to give them the rare Pokemon I received from trainers around the region for study. Thanks to you, they didn't get what they were after."

We made small talk in the taxi for a few minutes, telling the Professor about our journeys. Soon, the taxi arrived at a beautiful, classically designed brick building, with a small garden that separated its burnished copper fence from its window-covered façade. A sign beside its gate read _Sycamore Pokemon Lab_.

"Come in," said Sycamore, gesturing toward the door.

Dominic and I followed him in. The room we stepped into was simple, with a few couches on one side, a receptionist's desk on the other, and an elevator set in the back wall.

"I have a gift for you, to show my gratitude," Sycamore told us, "It's on the third floor."

We followed him into the elevator and to the third floor, which was his personal office. His desk was made of a beautiful dark wood, and paintings of Pokemon as well as scientific sketches hung on the walls. He walked to behind his desk and took three Pokeballs from a drawer.

"You may choose one of these Pokemon to take with you on your journey, if you like," he explained, "They are rare Pokemon, and your battle earlier showed me that the two of you have the ability to raise them properly."

"Thank you," said Dominic, bowing. I copied him and we both went over to check the Pokeballs.

Sycamore clicked the three of them open, and introduced them, "This is Bulbasaur, this one is Charmander, and this last one is Squirtle."

I knelt and looked at them. I had no idea how to choose a Pokemon. Should I consider its abilities, and whether it would be right for my team, or should I decide based on my personal connection with it?

"I'll choose this one," said Dominic, pointing to Squirtle.

"Squirtle. A water type Pokemon with excellent defenses. Its evolution, Wartortle, is said to live for thousands of years. He will be a fine addition to your team," said Sycamore, handing Squirtle's Pokeball to Dominic.

I decided that I would just have to choose a Pokemon, and that the personal connection would come later. I made my choice, and Sycamore gave me the Pokeball.

"Now, I have another favor to ask of you," Sycamore began, "It's only a small one though, and you may get a lot out of it as well. I research Mega Evolution here, a powerful and mysterious transformation that brings to light the full power of a Pokemon for a limited amount of time. I would like for the two of you to help me."

"In Shalour City, a place in Northeast Kalos that you will probably visit later in your journey because it has a Gym, there is a man who knows much about Mega Evolution. If he decides that you are among the chosen, he may share the secret of Mega Evolution with you. I myself have visited, but I am apparently not among the chosen."

"If you are, you will gain a powerful tool for use in your battles, and your Pokemon will gain power beyond belief. All I ask is that you return here and show me your Pokemon's Mega Evolution."

"Yes," I answered, "We'll do it."

"Excellent! Merci Beaucoup!" said Sycamore, beaming at us.

Sycamore gave us each a Holo Caster so we could stay in contact with him. It was the first time I had held one of these, though I had seen other people use them. I ran my hand over the Lysandre Labs logo on the back, accepting the gift gracefully, which I wouldn't have done before the journey. I had learned how to accept gifts better, recognizing the difference between kindness and false, self-serving shows of generosity.

Dominic accepted one as well, admitting that he had left his back in Cyllage City.

We left the lab after exchanging a few more words with Sycamore, and looked at a map to find the way to Santalune City. We stopped at a Pokemon Center to heal our Pokemon, and Dominic tried to buy more potions, but his card was frozen. He had a stockpile in his bag, and I told him that he could use his winnings from battles to buy more when he ran out. After that, we stopped for lunch in a Café.

"I can't believe it. You were actually right," I said, as waited for our food and looked out at the busy city street.

"About what?" Dominic asked.

"The gang," I explained, "We won!"

"Course I was," said Dominic, looking very smug. "Y'know, you were pretty good in that fight back there."

"Course I was," I said, mocking Dominic's weird choice of words and smug look. "You weren't bad yourself."

We ate lunch and then continued on our way.

We were almost to the gate when we stopped, captivated by an unsettling scene. In a Café that we passing, two people were arguing. Their calmness made the conversation even creepier.

One of them, a woman wearing a white dress, looked very familiar. She was in the door of the Café, obviously trying to leave, but the man she was talking to was blocking her way.

"You played a young girl so beautifully in your debut on the silver screen," he said in a clear, passionate voice, "Wouldn't you rather remain young and beautiful forever and always play such roles?"

"Lysandre," said the woman, plainly unnerved by his enthusiasm and trying to edge past him, "Your questions are very strange. Why would I want to play the same old roles forever? Youth may be beautiful, but it's not all there is to life. Everything changes."

"That's true," said the man, Lysandre, shaking his head sadly, "Nothing can survive unchanged. All things are touched by the ravaging hand of time."

"That's not what I meant," argued the woman, "Change can be beautiful. I want to live and change like all living things. So I look forward to playing different roles as I get older."

"You…are a movie star. Isn't it your duty to remain ever beautiful? Everything beautiful should stay that way forever," said Lysandre.

"Creep," muttered Dominic. We had walked closer to the Café entrance but were keeping our distance.

"I would end the world in an instant so that beauty never fades," continued Lysandre. His tone of voice made me believe that he would do it. "I can't stand the thought of the world becoming uglier. You move the multitudes with your beautiful acting. If only everyone were like you- what a beautiful world we would have then!"

He backed away, saying, "If you'll excuse me."

The woman looked relieved to see him go. She noticed us outside the Café and waved.

"Hello. Who are you two?" she asked.

"Diantha?" asked Dominic incredulously, "It's an honor to meet you."

He added a polite bow, like he did to Professor Sycamore, but she was having none of it.

"There's no need for that," she said with a friendly smile.

"I'm Wes," I said. Diantha… I felt like I had seen her somewhere before.

"My name is Dominic," said the guy beside me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Are you Trainers?"

"Yes. We're both planning to compete in the League," I answered, not really caring that I was speaking for Dominic as well.

"That's a good goal. I'm a trainer myself, in my off time," she said, touching the pendant on her necklace, "I look forward to battling you both someday!"

She left the Café as well. I noticed that it was completely abandoned.

"Diantha? I didn't think she would be so friendly," said Dominic.

"I feel like I've seen her before," I said.

Dominic snorted at me dismissively, "She's a famous actress, genius. Everybody's seen her."

I glared at him.

"She's not like some of the other actors I've met. Most of them wouldn't look at you twice," he continued, talking more to himself than me, "But she was pretty nice."

"Somebody who's rich and not an arrogant jerk? That is weird."

Now it was Dominic's turn to glare at me. The more I got to know him, the more I realized he wasn't arrogant. Surprisingly, though, my weak taunt seemed to get to him.

"You should meet my family," he said darkly, looking down, "Let's go already. I want to train my new Squirtle."

We walked through the gate, and I held my new Pokeball. It contained the Pokemon I had received from Sycamore, Charmander. He had told me that she was a Fire Type and would eventually gain Flying abilities as well. I looked forward to battling alongside my new teammate, and charged with energy, took off running through the gate.


	9. Chapter 9: Struggles

Chapter 9

My sprint did little but earn me disapproving looks from the receptionist and the travelers in the gate.

Parterre Way was a well-groomed road. A wide dirt path ran around meticulously trimmed hedges and beside luscious flowers. In the center of the route, a fair distance away, I could see the shape of a fountain, adorned with golden statues that gleamed in the early afternoon light.

"Stop running and battle me!" commanded a woman carrying a purse stuffed with Pokeballs.

"Sure," I answered, throwing Charmander's Pokeball.

The woman who gushed about her love of Pokemon during the battle had three Burmy, which Charmander was able to defeat with some trouble and potions. She definitely wasn't on the level of Bagon and Axew yet, and needed more training. When I ordered an Ember against the third Burmy, Charmander didn't obey, her eyes widening in surprise. She ran up to me and tugged with one hand on my pants, trying to show me something. I saw that instead of orange flame, her jaw had begun to glow with blue fire. I recognized the move, having seen Axew use the move before.

"I see it!" I told her, "It's Dragon Rage! Use it!"

She grinned widely, glad I was impressed by her, and knocked out Burmy with the move.

"Great!" I said, crouching down while she did a happy dance after her victory. She climbed up onto my shoulder and made a happy noise, like a cute attempt at a roar.

"You may have beaten me in battle, but no one can beat my love for Pokemon!" claimed the Pokefan as she gave me the prize money.

I decided not to return Charmander since she seemed so happy riding on my shoulder.

I saw Dominic battling wild Pokemon in the hedges. I kept going: he could catch up with me later, and I wanted to train with Charmander more.

I battled little kids and gardeners, eventually getting to the fountain in the center of the route. Along the way, Charmander's moves had been becoming smoother. She was almost on the level of Bagon and Axew. I hadn't returned her to her Pokeball since the first battle, because she seemed to like riding my shoulder more.

We stopped to look at the fountain, admiring its shape, our eyes tracking the flow of water from the two Horsea shapes that doused the middle of the fountain with spray from each side.

The two people cruising around the fountain on roller skates challenged me to a battle. Charmander managed to knock out both of their Pokemon with just one hit apiece.

I looked around for Dominic, seeing him battling a trainer in the hedges. With Charmander on my shoulder, I continued down the route, battling people every so often and growing more and more impressed with my new Pokemon's power. Finally, about three hours after I left Lumiose City, I stood at the gates to Santalune City.

Dominic ran up behind me.

"What's up?" I asked. Charmander made a noise on my shoulder.

"Wes, the trainers around here are all lightweights, y'know?" Dominic began.

"Yeah," I agreed, "They were pretty easy to beat."

"You need a good opponent to train for your gym battle, right?" he said, "Let's you and me battle!"

"Sure," I agreed. Dominic was right, I did need to train against tough Pokemon, and his Zangoose definitely fit that description. Dominic and I backed up, making space on the ground for our Pokemon.

"3 on 3, okay?" asked Dominic. I blinked in surprise.

"Did you catch a new Pokemon?" I asked. He nodded. "3 on 3 sounds good," I agreed.

"Go, Squirtle!" called Dominic, throwing the Pokeball he had received from Professor Sycamore. The blue Pokemon appeared in a small burst of water, spinning around in a carefree way.

"Sit this one out, Charmander," I said, knowing that Squirtle could target her weaknesses with Water moves. "Go, Axew!"

Axew appeared and checked out her opponent while I caught her Pokeball.

"Water Gun!"

Squirtle followed Dominic's order, sending a burst of water at Axew.

"Dragon Rage!" I called.

The stream of fire met the blast of water, generating a burst of steam.

"Dual Chop! Burn it!" I ordered.

"Withdraw!" countered Dominic.

Axew set her hands on fire and rushed at Squirtle. However, Squirtle ducked into its shell, muting the damage from the move. The flame that spread from Axew's hands couldn't light the shell, and burned out in seconds.

"Tackle" called Dominic.

Squirtle seized the moment when Axew had just finished delivering its move to strike, dealing damage and knocking Axew back toward me.

"Rapid Spin!" called Dominic, pressing his advantage.

Squirtle shot itself toward Axew, spinning at high speed. If I countered with another move or dodged, Squirtle would just Withdraw again, and I wouldn't be able to do much damage. What should do to stop that?

"Slash!" I called, getting an idea.

"Stop!" called Dominic, "Withdraw!"

Squirtle stopped its charge and retreated into its shell, just as I had predicted it would. Axew's Slash hit the armored shell, doing little damage and just causing the shell to vibrate a little.

"Assurance!" I called.

Axew slammed Squirtle's shell with its hand, sending a dark shockwave through the shell that magnified the vibrations from its Slash and increased its power because of the damage Squirtle had just taken.

"Perfect!" I called, congratulating Axew. She turned back to me and nodded, appreciating my strategy.

Squirtle fainted and Dominic returned him.

"Go, Scraggy!" he called, releasing the Pokemon he had just caught. It was Dark and Fighting type, if I remembered correctly.

"Where did you find a Scraggy?" I asked. I hadn't seen a single Scraggy so far and I was pretty sure that they didn't live in Parterre Way.

"I just found him along the way," answered Dominic.

"Return, Axew, take a break," I said, "Bagon, it's your turn!" I was planning to take on Zangoose with Charmander so that she had a chance to train against the strongest opponent.

Bagon appeared and roared.

"Headbutt!" called Dominic.

Scraggy rushed forward.

"Headbutt!" I called in response.

It turned out that countering Headbutt with Headbutt was a stupid idea, as proved by the two Pokemon stumbling around and groaning on the battlefield.

"Come over here, Bagon!" I commanded, readying a potion. I sprayed his head after he stumbled and swayed his way over to me, and say the clarity return to his eyes.

"Use Leer!" I called next.

Bagon glared at Scraggy, who had just shaken off its confusion. Scraggy flinched and shrank back, intimidated by the harsh face.

"Sand Attack!" responded Dominic.

Scraggy kicked sand into Bagon's face, forcing him to turn away and stop his Leer.

"Now use Brick Break!" Dominic called with perfect timing.

Scraggy delivered a brutal blow to Bagon.

"Don't let them win!" I called. Bagon straightened up in response to my cheer. "Ember!"

Bagon blew fire toward Scraggy, inflicting some damage on his opponent.

"Rock Smash, finish it!" I called, hoping to finish the fight by targeting Scraggy's weakness to Fighting moves.

"Payback!" called Dominic.

Scraggy began to glow with a purple, pulsing darkness, and huddled into a defensive position. Bagon leapt into the air and used Rock Smash, pushing Scraggy to the brink. However, Dominic's Pokemon hung on and countered, attacking by charging the purple shadow with Bagon's move and then retaliating brutally.

Bagon crumpled onto the ground by me. He could still battle, but not for much longer.

"Good job, Bagon, return," I said, switching Pokemon, "Axew! Your turn!"

Axew appeared again, sizing up its weakened opponent and sensing its advantage.

"Brick Break! Give it all you've got!" Dominic said, ordering a final move from Scraggy.

Scraggy, who seemed eager to prove itself to its new trainer, charged forward to attack again.

"Dual Chop! Burn it!" I called. I really liked saying 'burn it'. It felt cool. Also, with two strikes Axew would be able to counter Break and connect with its own attack.

Axew's burning blows connected, the first blocking Brick Break, the second knocking out Scraggy.

"Perfect, Axew!" I cheered.

"Your streak ends now, Wes," said Dominic, returning Scraggy, "Zangoose!"

Dominic's final Pokemon appeared in a circle of light. The wind blew through his fur, ruffling it ruggedly. An unmatched confidence radiated from his dark, narrowed eyes. The afternoon sun reflected in its sharp claws, casting a pattern of light on the ground.

"Axew, great job," I said, returning her, "Charmander, go for it!"

Charmander jumped off my shoulder and landed on the ground dramatically in a shower of sparks.

"Zangoose, begin with Quick Attack!" called Dominic.

"Counter with Ember!" I ordered.

Unfortunately, Zangoose's quick attack was too fast. He struck Charmander before she had a chance to use her move. She fired Ember too late, and Zangoose avoided it easily.

"Dragon Rage!" I called, while at the same time Dominic ordered Crush Claw.

Charmander blasted Zangoose head-on with the burst of blue fire, but the opposing Pokemon didn't even slow down and used Crush Claw with brutally graceful motions.

"Charmander, return!" I called, seeing how weak she was after that attack, "It's you again, Axew!"

Axew appeared and glared at me, obviously wondering about why she was battling for a third time.

"It's your own fault for being so strong," I said jokingly, noticing her scaly lips curl into a smile at my words.

"Fury Cutter!" called Dominic.

Zangoose landed a slashing strike on Axew.

"Slash!" I called.

Axew retaliated with a strike of its own.

"Fury Cutter! Don't stop!"

Zangoose kept up its attack, each hit doing more damage. Axew slumped to the ground, defeated. Zangoose leapt back to stand dramatically beside Dominic.

"Bagon, you're next!" I called, returning Axew with disappointment. I had hoped she would win.

Bagon managed to land a Bite and a strong Headbutt, but he went down too. Zangoose was breathing hard by the end of the fight with Bagon, though, and it looked like his strength was starting to fail.

"Charmander, go for it," I said, returning Bagon's Pokeball to one of the pockets in my cargo pants.

"Your Zangoose is insanely strong!" I said to Dominic.

"Thanks!" said Dominic, "Your Pokemon are all great too. But Zangoose is the strongest!"

He smirked and ordered Quick Attack.

"Use Dragon Rage!" I called, hoping that Zangoose would be worn out enough that Charmander could land a counter. Unfortunately, he was still too fast, and Charmander fell over, looking like she was knocked out.

"No!" I called, "Keep going, Charmander, I believe in you!"

Charmander seemed to hear me. She picked herself up slowly off the ground, now glowing with some pulsing blue light. She ran at Zangoose as rings of energy appeared around her body, delivering a final blow.

Zangoose moaned softly, unconscious. Above him, the Charmander glowed brighter and seemed to dissolve, her body extending, her face changing shape, her claws growing. She opened her mouth and roared, louder now.

"Your Pokemon evolved!" said Dominic, surprised, "It's a Charmeleon now."

My Pokemon, taller now, with darker colors and a lither build, stepped toward me.

"Great job, Charmeleon," I said, "Now let's go win a badge."


	10. Chapter 10: Insects

Chapter 10

Dominic and I relaxed at a table in the Pokemon Center, waiting for our Pokemon to be treated by the Nurse. We had just finished a great battle and my Charmander had evolved, and now I was going to Challenge the Santalune Gym. The sun was starting to set, and I watched the sky gradually bronze over with a mix of honey orange clouds and smaller, deep purple wisps. My side twinged with a short shock of pain.

"Dominic and Wes, please report to the front desk," came the sound of a Nurse's voice over the intercom.

We were sitting only three meters from the front desk, so the intercom was kind of useless. We walked up to the front desk, where the Nurse had laid six Pokeballs on the counter.

"Are you two planning to challenge Viola?" she asked, and then at my look of confusion went into further detail, "She's the Gym Leader in this city."

I nodded.

"You need to be careful. She specializes in Bug Pokemon, but she has surprising countermeasures in store for the types her Pokemon are weak to. I don't recommend using Charmeleon against her," she finished.

"Okay, thanks," I said, taking my Pokeballs and smiling pleasantly at her. I would probably disregard her advice, as fire moves were effective against Bug Pokemon, but it was nice of her to try and help.

"What are you doing now?" asked Dominic, "I think I'll go train and then get some dinner at the Café."

"I'm going to the Gym. I'm gonna try to challenge it today."

"Cool," said Dominic, "I think I'll try to challenge it tomorrow after I train Squirtle and Scraggy some more."

We split up, and I found the Gym in the northwest part of town. It was different from the Cyllage City Gym in every way. From the outside it looked like a museum or a train station, made of pristine brickwork and pretty, rectangular windows. Inside, it was a small, white room, with beautiful floor-to-ceiling photographs of Bug Pokemon along the back wall.

"Are you here to challenge the Gym?" asked a man in a suit, standing to my right.

"Yes," I answered. Where was the Gym Leader? Had she already left for the night?

"Step right this way," he directed, stepping aside to reveal a square of floor that was missing. Below, all was darkness.

I hesitated.

"Go on," said the man, "Prove your courage and your worthiness to challenge this Gym."

I jumped, falling through the darkness, before landing on some kind of trampoline. Lights immediately snapped on, illuminating a basement floor that was the real gym. After a second of holding my side, in pain from the landing, I was able to look around. I was standing on a giant web that stretched around the room, suspended from the top of four trees. I looked down and immediately regretted it, noticing that the floor of this subterranean chamber was far below my feet. I could see Gym Trainers waiting on branches, and there was a tree house at the far end of the web, the front door covered with curtains.

I started walking, doing my best to balance on the thin web strands. I wobbled and fell a few times, trying to get to the trees so I wouldn't have to walk on the web. After a fair amount of struggle, I got to a tree, where wooden platforms had been nailed in place to provide places to stand and battle.

"Hey!" called an enthusiastic Gym trainer, running down from above, using the platforms like a staircase, "Do you know what's so great about Bug Pokemon?"

He used a Butterfree and a Beedrill, both of which went down under Bagon's Embers. His Beedrill managed to poison Bagon, but I had a huge stockpile of antidotes that I had bought after my experience with Drapion, when I had been poisoned, and was able to treat him instantly.

"Bug Pokemon evolve fast!" explained the defeated Gym Trainer, "Did you see?"

I took the prize money and continued on, going from tree to tree and trying to minimize the time I spent walking on the webs. Along the way, I battled a few more Gym Trainers, and gave Charmeleon, Bagon, and Axew some more training. Axew seemed a little bit disappointed when her opponents were easily beaten, like the Mothim and Wormadam that one Gym Trainer used, while Charmeleon didn't want to return to her Pokeball. She couldn't ride on my shoulder anymore, so she tagged along with me, using her new, stronger legs to jump from platform to platform faster than I could.

Finally, I reached the treehouse at the end. I heard the sounds of a Pokemon battle coming from inside, and ducked under the curtain.

Inside, a woman with a camera around her neck who I guessed was Viola because of the photography everywhere was battling a girl around my age. The girl wore some weird clothes. She was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans with a pattern of bright green leaves sewn up the side. She wore a high-cut tank top that revealed her midsection, which was a muted green. She wore a necklace of twigs with a beautiful wooden charm, and her wavy black hair came down past her shoulders. There were lines of green paint on her face that complimented her beautiful cheekbones. I looked her up and down: she looked great.

"Hey, it looks like you have a challenger," said the girl. Her voice was clear and energetic.

"Want to call it a draw?" asked Viola, returning her Vivillon to its Pokeball.

"Good Battle, Quilladin," said the girl, returning her own Pokemon.

"Welcome to my Gym," said Viola, turning to me, "I'm Viola. You caught me in the middle of training."

"Sorry," I said to the girl, "I didn't mean to interrupt your battle. You can keep going, I'll wait."

"Oh, thanks, but I'm not a challenger," she explained, "I'm Evelyn, Ramos's apprentice, the next Leader of the Coumarine City Gym. I'm just here to train with Viola."

"That's cool. I'm Wes," I said. From her clothes and her Pokemon, I guessed that she specialized in grass Pokemon.

"So, are you ready? This will be a two on two battle, with Evelyn serving as referee." said Viola, taking a picture of me with her camera.

I nodded. Grant hadn't set any rules beforehand, but each Gym Leader could run the battle however they wanted.

"Fantastic! Then let's begin. My lens is always focused on victory- I won't let anything ruin this shot!"

"Bagon," I shouted, throwing my Pokeball, "Let's win this!"

"Masquerain, ready yourself," said Viola.

I recognized the Pokemon she sent out. Bagon and I had battled one on the Muraille Coast. Masquerain approached Bagon, using its wings to intimidate him.

"Masquerain versus Bagon. Begin!" called Evelyn from the side of the treehouse.

"Don't let it distract you," I called, "Use Ember!"

Viola smiled, her mouth moving just slightly.

"That's a nice try, but it won't get you anything," she said, priming her camera, "Use Water Sport, and make it beautiful!"

Masquerain spun in midair, and spread a curtain of water around the battlefield, spraying directly upward and allowing the water to spread out like an umbrella. Bagon's Ember instantly flickered out when it hit the curtain of water.

"Fantastic!" cheered Viola.

"Leer," I called, trying to disrupt Masquerain's move.

Bagon glared at Masquerain, causing it to stop its spin. However, the curtain of water remained.

"Use Infestation!" called Viola.

A sickly, buzzing shroud climbed up from the floor and encircled Bagon.

"Break free!" I called, "Use Headbutt!"

Bagon jumped into the air and used Headbutt on Masquerain, but he couldn't shake off the infestation, which was doing more damage to him every second. Meanwhile, Masquerain had taken a lot of damage and was fluttering weakly down, but Viola healed it with a potion and it returned to the air full of energy.

"Burn it off! Use Ember!"

"Use Water Sport," calmly called Viola.

Her move was perfectly timed and countered mine, dousing Bagon's Ember and leaving him covered in the infestation.

"Return, Bagon," I called, deciding to try something else, "Your turn, Charmeleon!"

I returned Bagon to his Pokeball and Charmeleon ran out from her place beside me to stand on the battlefeild

"Wes substitutes his Pokemon! Charmeleon versus Masquerain. Begin!"

"Dragon Rage!" I called, deciding to save my surprise move for later.

Masquerain's Water Sport proved useless against Charmeleon's move and it took heavy damage.

"Use Infestation."

"Ember!" I called.

Masquerain went down before it could use Infestation.

Viola returned it and said, "Fantastic teamwork. But my next Pokemon is even stronger. The tears of frustration after a loss, the blossoming of joy after a win… No matter what happens next, you'll make a fantastic subject for my camera!"

She threw her next Pokeball and I nodded at Charmeleon, "You're the best, Charmeleon. I believe in you."

"Viola's Masquerain is defeated," called Evelyn, raising her left arm, "Vivillon versus Charmeleon. Begin!"

"Charmeleon, finish it now! Use Rock Tomb!"

I had used the TM Grant gave me on Charmeleon right before I challenged the Gym. I was sure it would catch Viola by surprise. Rocks fell from somewhere, pinning Vivillon to the ground helplessly.

"I believe in you, Vivillon! You can take it!" said Viola.

"Ember!" I called, believing that this would be the final blow.

"Powder!" called Viola. Vivillon shook its trapped wings, scattering red powder everywhere. I looked with confusion as Evelyn and Viola both clamped their hands over their ears and dove facedown for cover.

"Merde," I swore, and then was hit by the explosion that resulted from the Powder being lit by Charmeleon's Ember. I flew back and screamed at the pain in my side, barely catching the edge of the treehouse's floor as I fell. Charmeleon went flying past me, clearly unconscious. I grabbed her clawed hand with mine and screamed again as her talons cut through my flesh and my side felt like it was burning. I thought of something else and dropped her, grabbing her Pokeball and returning her before she hit the floor.

I climbed up, hair stuck to my forehead with sweat. Evelyn was standing in front of me, saying something, but I couldn't understand it with my ears ringing. I took a painkiller and then grabbed Bagon's Pokeball.

"I'm okay," I said, able to faintly hear myself as the buzzing cleared from my ears.

Vivillon had managed escape from Rock Tomb in the explosion, but was looking worse for wear. Some of Viola's photography equipment in the treehouse was damaged, hit by pieces of rock. Viola and Evelyn looked okay, though.

"Final Round!" called Evelyn, sounding a little shaky, "Bagon versus Vivillon. Begin!"

I wasn't going to call Ember again, so I waited for Viola to call a move and hopefully get Vivillon in range for one of Bagon's short-distance moves. She didn't disappoint.

"Draining Kiss!"

A Fairy move! But at least it would get Vivillon in range.

"Jump and use Bite!" I called.

Bagon followed my orders, jumping up and over the charging Vivillon. He then delivered the finishing move.

"Wes's Bagon is the victor!" called Viola, "The challenger has defeated Viola, the Santalune City Gym Leader!"

Bagon ran toward me with a big grin on his face, and I knelt down and chest-bumped him.

"Great job," I said, playfully rubbing the top of his head, my hand lingering for only a second where the scar on his face began.

Evelyn laughed, "You two are so cute!" I shuffled indignantly at that, which only made her laugh more.

Viola came over to congratulate me.

"Trainer, you and your Pokemon have shown me a whole new depth of field. Fantastic! I want you to have this," she paused to hand me her badge, which was made from bronze, in the shape of a beetle with two green gemstones set into the back, "Also this TM commemorates a win against me. It's Infestation, a move that will continue to deal damage to opponents over time. Now, if you take the stairs behind me, you'll be back at the entrance. I recommend challenging Korrina at Shalour City next. Thanks for the fantastic battle!"

I took the TM for Struggle Bug and started to leave, saying goodbye to Evelyn first.

"That was a great battle, Wes! I want to see you again sometime! Come to the Coumarine City Gym sometime and we'll battle!"

"I can't wait," I said, and her smile grew even brighter at my words.

I put my new badge away along with the first one. Two down, six to go.


	11. Chapter 11: Fists

Chapter 11

I was relaxing and eating at the Café with Axew while my other Pokemon rested in the Pokemon Center, enjoying my victory and my second badge. We sat outside and watched the fountain at the center of the city.

Halfway through our meal, Dominic came into the west of town. He saw us and came over.

"Look at this," he said, throwing a Pokeball. The Pokemon that appeared was obviously an evolved form of Squirtle.

"It's Wartortle. Remember, Professor Sycamore said Wartortle can live for thousands of years. Isn't that just, y'know, cool?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling and holding up my new badge, "But this is cooler."

He ordered dinner and we talked for a few minutes. He said he was all prepared to challenge the Gym tomorrow, which would mean that we need a place to stay for the night. I said that buying a hotel room wasn't worth it, especially with his credit cards now frozen. We decided to ask the Nurse if we could sleep at the Pokemon Center, and, if that failed, to just camp out outside of town.

At the Pokemon Center, the Nurse was kind enough to let us stay on the couches in one of the back rooms. I took off the new shirt that I had bought after my Gym Battle to replace the other one that had been damaged by the explosion and my side's latest incident of bleeding. It was a red shirt with a design of spattered paint, so I was hoping that it would be impossible to tell if I started bleeding again. I resigned myself to never healing from this injury.

The next morning I woke up to the lights in the Center being turned back on. I shook Dominic until he got up, and then we thanked the Nurse and left. As soon as we left the Center, I sent out Charmeleon, knowing that she would appreciate it.

Dominic left to battle the Gym, and I spent the whole day relaxing around town and playing with my Pokemon. Although Axew tried to act aloof and disinterested in having fun, eventually she joined us. When it was about Noon, and we were getting lunch at the Café, Dominic came back from the Gym holding a badge of his own.

"Nice," I said, "So Viola told me to challenge Korrina at Shalour City next. Where are you going?"

"I'm going there too," said Dominic, "Professor Sycamore said we both should go, remember?"

"Yeah," I answered, having honestly totally forgotten about Sycamore's request.

Dominic put the Holo Caster he had received from Professor Sycamore down on the table and activated a map of the Kalos region. The path to Shalour City involved us doubling back and going through Cyllage City and the Muraille Coast again.

"Let's find another way," insisted Dominic, "I'm not going back there."

"Okay," I said, still not really sure what his deal was, "Wasn't there a train station in Lumiose? There's got to be at least one train that goes to Shalour City."

Dominic smiled at my suggestion, visibly relieved at not having to double back. After he ate lunch too, we left and turned back to Parterre Way.

The journey back to Lumiose City took even less time than the journey from it. After we got lost a few times, we paid a taxi to take us to the station. It was mid-afternoon when we entered the crowded, ultra-modern station. We had enough to buy tickets to Shalour with the prize money Viola had given us, but I noticed that I was starting to run low on money. I needed to win some more battles.

I fell asleep on the train, waking up embarrassedly in Dominic's lap when the train arrived at the Shalour City station. I walked out of the train and instantly stopped, captivated by the beauty of the tower I saw in the distance.

Shalour City was built on a downward slope facing the beach, with building ringing the hills in semicircles like an amphitheater. A land bridge led from the beach to an indescribably beautiful tower with a design that made it seem like two halves of different structures had been merged to form it.

"Is that the Tower of Mastery that the Professor was telling us about?" asked Dominic, who had also stopped just to admire the tower.

"Must be," I answered, "Let's check it out."

Dominic and I walked down the sloping roads that lead through town to the beach and then across the narrow bridge of sand that looked like it would disappear at high tide.

At the door, an ancient woman with a beautiful pendant that had a design like DNA greeted us, but turned us away.

"Only those who prove their worth may enter the tower," she said, "Return here with four Gym Badges or a similar recognition of your talent and I will grant you access."

Dominic tried to argue with her, saying that Professor Sycamore had sent us and that it was important that we get in, but she was unimpressed and unmoved.

"Augustine Sycamore tried to study hear years ago," she said, "But he did not have the talent or patience necessary to achieve his goals. Prove that you do and return here later."

"Okay, then," I said, "I'm gonna train and then challenge the Gym."

I went to the western edge of the City and took the gate to Fourage Way. Dominic came with me, deciding to train his Pokemon as well. We waded across a small stretch of water and then got back to the path.

Two Pokemon breeders who were obviously a couple challenged us to a tag battle. They had Seviper, Miltank, Yanmega, and Tauros. We had to restrain Dominic's Zangoose to stop it from brutally finishing the enemy Seviper, finally returning the two of them to their Pokeballs. Bagon and Wartortle made a great team though, and we easily beat the Breeders.

After the battle, Bagon started to pulse with energy and evolved. When the rings of energy cleared, he was covered in a tough, white shell, and his body was incredibly different. He was now shaped like a ball of armor with four legs. His scar remained on his face though, and now extended over parts of his new shell.

"Wes!" called a familiar voice, "And Bagon! I mean, Shelgon!"

Someone I recognized was running along the grassy path ahead and by the ranch's fence.

"Hey! It's been awhile!" she said excitedly. The Eevee riding on her shoulder barked at me cutely. Her hair, tied in two long ponytails above her vision, flowed behind her, and her athletic clothes fit her nicely.

"Hey, Liz," I said.

"How's your side? How's your training? Guess what, I have three badges!" she said without taking a breath. She then paused and noticed Dominic, who was shaking hands with our opponents, "Is that Dominic from school?"

"Yeah," I answered, "My side's the same. I keep hurting it. I have two badges so far. And Dominic and I have been traveling together for a few days."

"No, you need to rest so your side can heal," she admonished, "Oh, but congratulations on Bagon evolving."

She reached down to pet Shelgon, and he allowed her, seeming to recognize her.

"Oh, meet Eevee," she said, gesturing to the Pokemon on her shoulder, "Isn't she cute? I'm having trouble deciding what to evolve her into. Also, I ran into more of those Flare people in Geosenge, but they ran away after I threatened them with Mawile."

Dominic ran up to us, looking at Liz in surprise for a minute.

"You're going on a journey?" he asked, staring at her.

"I didn't know you trained Pokemon," she said.

"Wes gave me the idea," explained Dominic, "It's something I've always wanted to do, y'know?"

"Actually, I do," said Liz with a smile, "He helped me get started too."

Why were they talking about me in third person? I was standing right beside them. They kept talking and soon were having a battle, unintentionally ignoring me. As Liz's Mawile battled Dominic's Zangoose, I walked away to do the training I had come here for.

I battled a few more trainers, and Axew evolved too, her body growing taller, her color darker, the tusks on her mouth extending. With two new evolved Pokemon, I felt ready to challenge the Gym.

Unfortunately, a flock of Mareep was in my way. The group of wild Pokemon looked angry, and, because their wool was charged with energy, they were like a moving electric fence. After trying to pass by and getting shocked, I sent out my three newly evolved Pokemon and told them to clear the path.

My Pokemon responded by showing off new things. Charmeleon used an attack that made her light her jaw with flames, which I recognized as Fire Fang, and also started using Flame Burst instead of her usual Ember. Shelgon blocked attacks with Protect, a move that would be extremely useful in my future Gym battles. And Axew's evolution was using Dragon Dance to boost her power, roaring and wrapping herself in streams of fury. I didn't know the name of Axew's Evolution, and figured I would just ask Liz later.

Most Mareep went down or fled as soon as my Pokemon started attacking, but one managed to hold off Charmeleon with a powerful Electro Ball. Impressed by its power, I caught it.

"Welcome to the team, Mareep," I said, holding the newly occupied Pokeball.

I walked back toward Shalour City, passing Liz and Dominic just as they finished their battle. Liz's Eevee had just knocked out Dominic's Scraggy, and she won the battle.

"So, you're going to challenge Korrina?" asked Liz.

I nodded.

"She uses Fighting-Type Pokemon, so expect plenty of physical, direct attacks. Also, can I watch?" she continued.

"Sure," I answered, "Tell me about your badges."

"Oh, yeah," she said, reaching into her bag and finding a badge case, "This one is from Cyllage City. You have this one, right, Wes?"

I showed her my Cyllage City badge, "Yeah, I beat Grant right after I got out of the hospital."

"This one is from Shalour, and this one is from Coumarine, from Ramos. He uses Grass Pokemon and likes defensive moves."

I remembered that Evelyn was Ramos's apprentice. I was looking forward to the Coumarine City Gym so I could see her again.

"I'm going to challenge Clemont next, he's the Lumiose Gym Leader. People say he's stronger than Ramos and Korrina, but I've been training around here for a few days and I finally think I'm ready. Can I see your other badge?"

I showed her the badge I had just gotten yesterday.

"This one's from Viola in Santalune City. She uses Bug Type Pokemon. She blew up her treehouse during our battle," I explained

"What?" asked Liz.

"No way," said Dominic. I remembered that I hadn't told him about my battle against Viola yet.

"Yeah, she used Powder and then I told Charmeleon to use Ember," I explained.

"No," said Liz, "Powder explodes when it comes into contact with a Fire move. Also, Charmeleon is a really cool Pokemon." She stopped talking and turned to face me and Dominic with an idea. "Let's show off our teams!"

I sent out my Pokemon. Charmeleon looked slightly angry at me for keeping her in her Pokeball for a while. I had returned her first during the train ride, then to cross the ocean, then again by habit after my Pokemon had beaten the Mareep, and she wasn't happy about it.

"That's new," said Dominic, pointing to Mareep.

"Aww, he's cute!" said Liz, rubbing her hand through Mareep's wool, "And he's close to evolving!"

"I just caught him during that battle you two had," I said to Dominic, and then asked Liz, "How do you know it's a he?"

"It's in the shape of the face," she answered, "All Pokemon have subtle gender differences. I mean, ones that you can tell just by looking at them instead of, you know, examining them. See, I can tell that your Charmander's female, your Shelgon's male, and your Fraxure's female."

Dominic sent out his team: Scraggy, Wartortle, and Zangoose. They all looked a little weak from the battle they just lost against Liz. Liz told me that they were all male.

Liz then threw three Pokeballs, and Eevee jumped off her shoulder to stand by her other Pokemon. She introduced her two other Pokemon as Braixen and Growlithe, and couldn't resist telling me that her Braixen was female and her Growlithe was male. I already knew the last Pokemon on her team, and owed this Pokemon a lot.

"Hey Mawile," I said, "Thank you again."

The Steel Pokemon spun into a graceful bow at my words.

"You've been keeping Liz safe, right?" I asked.

"What happened with you two?" asked Dominic, with what was maybe a tinge of jealousy, "Were you two traveling together for a while?"

"We just traveled together for, like, a day," said Liz. I hadn't heard her use the word "like" in that way before. She kind of sounded like one of those valley girls from the coast of Unova. Maybe she was nervous.

"We ran into some sinister organization and I ended up the hospital," I supplied, "It was a disaster, but it got us both started."

"Have you been traveling for a while, Dominic?" asked Liz.

"No, just for a few days. Wes helped me save Zangoose from a horde of wild Pokemon, and I just stayed on the road since then. Traveling's kinda nice."

"Isn't it great?" agreed Liz, petting Eevee's head.

We relaxed on the route, talking about Pokemon, for a little while longer. After that we went back into the city. Liz said that Korrina loved to have audiences for her Gym battles and a crowd of random trainers had watched the battle she had with the Gym Leader, so Liz and Dominic were coming to watch me. Dominic was planning to battle Korrina after me.

I returned Charmeleon, who looked very unhappy about going back into her Pokeball, and we stepped into the Shalour City Gym.

"Isn't this place great?" asked Liz.

I was a little confused by all the flashing lights and how different this place was from the other two Gyms I'd challenged. The Gym was flashy and ultra-modern, with a transparent orange track surrounding a hole in the middle, cut by bridges and rails and electric blue accents everywhere. Skating equipment dominated the floor, and Gym Trainers flew through the air above me. Liz led Dominic toward the stadium seating that ringed the Gym, mounted above the clear orange track and enclosed with blue plastic, and I began my challenge.

I stepped onto the floor, looking down through the clear orange plastic at the floor below me, where two people were having a pitched battle.

"Whoa!" called a Gym Trainer. She slid to a stop centimeters from me, the screech of her skates hurting my ears, "Watch out! Just who do you think you are, stopping me when I'm skating?"

She sent out a Meditite, and I sent out Shelgon.

"Mind Reader!" called the Gym Trainer. I wished Liz was around to tell me what that move did, but she was up in the stands where I couldn't hear her.

"Headbutt!" I said.

Shelgon charged at Meditite, his new mass and armor helping him to deliver a stronger attack.

"Feint!" called my opponent.

"What?" I asked, totally confused, "Did you just tell your Pokemon to faint?"

"No, the move Feint," she explained, looking at me like I was an idiot.

After an Ember, her Pokemon did faint.

She sent out Mienfoo next.

"Shelgon, use-"

Shelgon didn't wait for my order, firing off a beam of heat and plasma at Mienfoo.

"Hey, that's Dragon Breath," said my opponent, randomly explaining my move like she was a bad stand-in for Liz.

Mienfoo rolled onto the ground, its eyes closed.

"Did you just knock it out in one hit?" I asked, staring at Shelgon, impressed and startled by his new power. Shelgon turned to me, proud. I returned him after a few more congratulations and accepted the prize money from my opponent, who then waved to a control booth above the stands. In response, a section of floor rose up from the ground, forming the beginning of a bridge that led to the Pokeball-shaped area in the center of the Gym.

"If you can beat four people, then we'll raise the bridge so you can battle the Gym Leader. Now get outta my way, I'm skating here."

I moved aside for her to clunk her way and start skating again.

I challenged a second Gym Trainer, who promised to teach me how to Roller Skate when I lost.

"Thanks, dude," I said, "But I'm not gonna lose here."

He sent out Heracross, who looked like it belonged more in Viola's Gym than this one even though it was part Fighting Type.

"Fraxure, your turn!" I called, sending out my other newly evolved Pokemon.

"Show me Dragon Dance!" I said, wanting to see my Pokemon use her new move.

She roared, looked at the sky, and stomped her foot down, red energy wrapping around her body in streams and ribbons of pure power while she did so.

"Take Down," called my opponent.

His Heracross charged at Fraxure, who jumped out of the way with surprising speed.

"Dual Chop! Burn it!"

She lit her claws with fire, now a deep purple instead of blue, and struck Heracross twice. The speed, power, and flame blurred beautifully together. She looked incredibly graceful, dispatching Heracross with no trouble.

The Gym Trainer gave me the prize money and gave the signal. A second piece of the bridge rose to join the first.

I tracked a third skater down and stood in her way, forcing her to battle me. She said something about a nonstop skate and battle train, and then sent out a massive, muscular Pokemon.

"Go, Charmeleon!"

"Hariyama, use Fake Out!" commanded the Gym Trainer.

The huge Pokemon raised a palm and tapped Charmeleon with it gently, knocking her backwards but not doing much damage.

"Fire Fang!" I called.

Charmeleon's teeth burned orange. Hariyama jerked back at the move, which was incredibly brutal to watch, however, it left no permanent damage.

"Palm Thrust!"

Hariyama pummeled Charmeleon with four quick strikes.

"Finish it with Flame Burst!" I called.

Charmeleon sent a blast of fire at Hariyama than split into a dozen trailing tongues of flame when it hit its target. Hariyama went down and I congratulated Charmeleon.

"You stopped me right in my tracks," whined the defeated Gym Trainer, "That's no fun."

She turned over the prize money and gave the signal. A third component of the bridge rose. I only needed one more to challenge Korrina.

I found the fourth trainer in a corner of the Gym, doing insane tricks on the rails. He threw a Pokeball as soon as he saw me, sending out Pancham.

"All right Mareep," I said, "Showtime!"

My new Pokemon appeared in a burst of sparks.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

Mareep looked a little dopey.

"Pancham, use Vital Throw!" called my opponent.

Pancham picked up Mareep, whose eyes instantly changed, the look of bored tiredness gone and replaced with a determined expression of confidence.

"Thunder Wave!" I called.

The charge spread to Pancham, who was still holding Mareep, causing it to jerk around uncontrollably.

"Charge!" I said.

Mareep's eyes glowed and his wool began to crackle with sparks as he drew in power.

"Vital Throw again!" ordered the Gym Trainer.

Pancham was still having difficulty moving after the Thunder Wave, and couldn't follow its Trainer's orders.

"Discharge! Finish it!" I called.

Mareep released a sphere of powerful electricity, the hissing globe knocking out Pancham. Immediately, Mareep started to glow with a different kind of energy, and rings of force surrounded his body. He stretched upwards, his bones audibly changing shape. When the glow cleared, he looked completely different, now standing on two legs with less wool and a different color.

"Congratulations on evolving, Flaaffy," said my opponent to my new Pokemon. He gave the signal and I heard the electric hum of the last piece of bridge locking into place.

I returned Flaaffy, yet another newly evolved Pokemon, and walked to the bridge, which was white and had a streak of black in the middle that blue lights would travel down. I walked across and stepped on the orange section in the middle, which was shaped like a Pokeball, wondering where the Gym Leader was.

A white blur dropped from the ceiling, skating a quick circle around the platform and then stopping in a tight spin. It revealed itself to be a blond woman, so young that she was almost still a girl, wearing a white dress and a white helmet. She shadow kicked the air, proclaiming, "Time for Lady Korrina's big appearance!"

I stood there, dumbfounded for a second.

She laughed cutely, closing her blue eyes, "Haha, I'm just messing around with you. I already know you're a strong trainer, so let's get this show on the road! 3 on 3! Let's go!"

I decided to start off with Flaaffy, who sent a burst of blue lightning from his tail as he appeared. I chuckled at his showboating; he obviously liked making an appearance just like Korrina.

"Sweet," said Korrina, obviously appreciating Flaaffy as well, "Mienfoo! Let's go!"

"Fake Out!" she called.

Mienfoo did an acrobatic flip over Flaaffy's head, striking him quickly and knocking him off balance. Flaaffy struggled to catch up with the Fighting Pokemon, but was being completely outmaneuvered by the acrobatic Mienfoo.

"Stop chasing it!" I called. Flaaffy turned back to look at me. I didn't like the way the battle was beginning, and didn't want Korrina running laps around my Pokemon. "Mess with it! Confuse Ray! Thunder Wave!"

Flaaffy sent a sparkling, multifaceted beam that was way too bright from his tail directly into Mienfoo's eyes. Korrina's Pokemon stopped in the middle of a leap and landed on a rail. Flaaffy touched the rail, sending a charge down it straight into Mienfoo.

"Drain Punch!" called Korrina, but her confused, paralyzed Pokemon could only twitch weakly in response.

"Charge, build power!" I called, "Then Discharge!"

The blue gem on Flaaffy's tail shone like a beacon, releasing beautiful rays of light as his power increased. Mienfoo flopped around helplessly. Flaaffy finished charging and sent a crackling wall of lightning at his opponent, knocking it out.

"Let's go, Hawlucha!"

The flying and fighting type Pokemon landed gracefully, staring down Flaaffy. Korrina clearly didn't care about the type disadvantage. Suddenly, Flaaffy's tail glowed with light and sent a beam infused with rocks and gemstones into Hawlucha.

"Power Gem?" sent Korrina quizzically, "I thought you'd use Discharge."

So Flaaffy learned Power Gem? Either Pokemon must automatically use any new moves they learned, or my Pokemon were trying to show me what they could do when they picked up something new.

"What she said!" I called.

Flaaffy used Discharge, slamming Hawlucha with a wall of energy.

"Power-up Punch!" called Korrina.

Hawlucha swooped in, striking Flaaffy in the stomach and sending him sprawling.

"Discharge!" I called, "Knock it out!"

Korrina's Hawlucha put on a brave face and tried to hang on, but the lightning was too much and it fainted.

I switched out for Fraxure, both giving Flaaffy a well-earned rest and giving Fraxure her time to shine. She hadn't competed against Viola, and loved tough battles.

"Go, Machoke!"

Korrina's Machoke appeared on the battlefield, flexing its muscles. Machoke always creeped me out. They looked so human.

"Fraxure, Dragon Dance!" I called.

Fraxure roared, cloaking herself in power.

"Rock Tomb!" called Korrina.

Machoke hurled rocks at Fraxure. Where did the rocks come from?

"Don't get trapped!" I said, "Break the rocks with Dual Chop!"

Fraxure didn't light her claws this time, because it would be pointless against stone. She spun into a dance of destruction, smashing though every boulder, and leaving the battlefield covered in dust.

"Power-up Punch!" called Korrina, but the cloud of dust was impossible to see through, and Machoke, who was somewhere inside, did nothing.

"Dragon Dance!" I said, deciding to use the time when nobody could fight to power up. I heard Fraxure roar inside the cloud.

A few seconds later, the dust cleared.

"Power-up Punch!"

"Slash!" I called, hoping Fraxure's boosted speed and attack would allow her to finish the battle quickly.

She blurred into focus behind Machoke, Slashing him with her claw and winning the battle.

"Perfect, Fraxure!" I cheered. In the stands, Liz and Dominic cheered too.

"How could it be?" asked Korrina, returning Machoke and throwing some prize money at me.

"Oh, I have been defeated," continued Korrina, "Alack, alay! Lady Korrina gave a terrible display! Here's your badge!"

She threw me a cool looking badge, half made of orange gemstone and half silver, and then kept talking, "It's the Rumble Badge! And here, why don't you take this TM? I've been on a roll with it myself."

She threw me a TM, forcing me to awkwardly catch a third thing, "Power-up Punch does just what it says on the box! The more you use it, the stronger you get. Keep using it. Your attack will go through the roof! Bye, and thanks for the battle!"

With my third badge in hand, I waved goodbye to Korrina. My next stop was Coumarine City.


	12. Chapter 12: Leaves

Chapter 12

* * *

><p>"So they wouldn't let us into that part of the cave," I was saying, "And I thought we should just ditch these freaks and search somewhere else, but Liz wanted to get past."<p>

"What'd she do?" asked Dominic, who could tell by my tone of voice that Liz had indeed done something.

"She stole my Bagon and beat the guy. And then she threatened to get Bagon to attack him if he didn't get out of the way!"

"No way!" said Dominic.

We walked along Fourage Way again, following Liz to Coumarine City, both of us with new badges in our pockets and refreshed after a night of sleep that we had gotten after convincing the Nurse to let us crash at the Pokemon Center.

"Hey, they had no right to stop us!" said Liz, "I am sorry about what happened to you, though, Wes."

"It's okay," I said. She had apologized plenty in the hospital. Besides, she had registered me for the League and my injury wasn't even her fault.

Suddenly my Holo Caster began to ring, and Dominic's mirrored it. We took them out of our bags and a blue, floating image of Professor Sycamore's torso appeared.

"Hey, it's Professor Sycamore!" said Liz, looking at my Holo Caster, "I'm a huge fan, Professor!"

"Thank you," said the Professor, bowing charmingly, "I don't believe we've met."

"I'm Liz Ducord," she said with the wide eyes of a fan.

"Augustine Sycamore, enchantè," he said, "I called to speak to Dominic and Wes. How is the research into Mega Evolution going?"

"We went to the Tower of Mastery, but they turned us away," I began, "They said we needed at least four badges to be allowed in, and we don't have that yet."

"We talked to a lady who knew you," said Dominic.

Sycamore turned away and started muttering at Dominic's words, obviously embarrassed because he knew exactly what the lady had told us.

"Mega Evolution?" asked Liz, curiously, allowing Sycamore to go through his explanation of Mega Evolution again. It was almost word for word the same as the one he had given us, so it was obvious that he just liked saying it. Sycamore suggested Liz should look into it too, and she looked so excited at being included in his research it was almost funny.

"We're on the way to Coumarine City now," I said when Sycamore had finished, "We'll have the badges soon and report back to you then."

"Excellent," he said, "You're on Fourage Road, right?"

We nodded, and Sycamore began to speak about the route, obviously trying to impress us with his knowledge because of his embarrassment.

"Further along the route, you'll come upon the Baa de Mer Ranch, a farm which has become renowned around Kalos for its skill at Pokemon breeding," he explained, "North of you is Azure Bay. In that part of Kalos there was an ancient belief that everything, including life, comes from the great ocean. Pokemon from distant lands are said to visit here. Out to sea in this region is the Spirit's Den, the resting place of departed Pokemon. It is located in the shallows, and thought to have been born from ancient outpourings of energy. With that in mind, enjoy your journey and report back to me later."

Sycamore's image vanished and we kept walking. Our clothes, wet from wading across the small stretch of the bay that intersected the route, were drying in the morning sun. The part of the route that we had covered yesterday for training was minute compared to its actual length, and I could just barely see the ranch in the distance.

"So you need four badges to get into the Tower?" asked Liz, curious about the new phase of the journey she was now included in.

"That's what the lady at the door said," I confirmed.

"I'll get my fourth Gym Badge in Lumiose. Wes, you'll get your fourth in Coumarine. Dominic, you need two, which you can get in Coumarine and Lumiose, so you and I will qualify at the same time. You don't mind waiting for us, right, Wes?" she asked.

"Yeah, no problem," I said, "I'll go with the two of you to Lumiose. When we go back, I can show that lady five badges!"

"Doesn't Mega Evolution sound cool? It's not like normal evolution, which is basically just metamorphosis that happens as Pokemon grow and increase in strength. Can you imagine seeing the full power of a Pokemon unleashed?" While she said this, she held her Mawile's Pokeball, obviously trying to picture it.

We changed the subject and talked about random things as we walked, occasionally stopping to battle trainers or wild Pokemon.

Liz's Mawile showed off her grace during battles, elegantly spinning and delivering furious techniques. After a particularly tough battle with a stubborn Ace Trainer, her Braixen evolved into Delphox. Dominic and I congratulated her on it, admiring the interesting techniques Liz's new Pokemon could use by combining its Fire and Psychic abilities. Her Eevee rode on her shoulder cutely, only battling rarely. Liz shared her confusion about which way to evolve her Eevee, and we each recommended a Pokemon, Dominic suggesting Jolteon and me offering Umbreon. She obviously wasn't convinced by either argument. Her Growlithe showed unwavering loyalty, shrugging off strong moves just to impress her. All of her Pokemon seemed ready to win a fourth badge; all of the backtracking and training Liz had done had obviously paid off.

When the bay encroached on the route again, a wild Lapras appeared. Obviously angry, it began using Ice Beam on us. Dominic stepped up to battle it, weakening it with Scraggy's help and then catching it, adding a fourth Pokemon to his team. Liz identified the Lapras as a female.

After we had been traveling for a few hours and it was almost noon, we were all getting hungry. I offered to share the food Madame Amedee had given me, so we all sat down on the dirt path, rested our backs against the fence of the Baa de Mer Ranch that we had finally reached, and ate lunch.

Hanging out with Dominic and Liz was really fun. We joked around and laughed during lunch. Everything seemed so natural. It would have been utter insanity if I had heard it before starting my journey: me, traveling with Dominic and Liz, loving every minute of it? Dominic had changed so much: from a jackass who flaunted his wealth to a dedicated, caring guy who loved his Pokemon enough to climb the cliffs to hang out with Zangoose every day. Liz had changed a lot too, going from a girl who was only self-assured in the classroom to a supremely confident genius who would challenge a criminal organization and then beat them. She kept the enthusiastic nerd part of herself, though. Dominic told me she gave him a play-by-play of each of my battles in the Shalour Gym and I told him she had done the same for me with his fights.

Maybe they hadn't changed, though. Maybe it was just my understanding of them that had changed. Dominic had been visiting Zangoose long before we started traveling. He had also crushed my idea of him as the arrogant party boy in Lumiose, and with him worrying about somebody freezing his credit card, I was sure there was much more to him than I knew. Similarly, Liz had always been confident, she was just applying it to a different area. Besides, she admitted to me that she had been saving her money for a Pokemon journey for a long time. Maybe going on a journey had just revealed who they always were. I wonder what my journey was revealing about me. Was I different than when I started? I felt like there was something that used to happen to me that had stopped since I began traveling.

We finished lunch and got up to keep walking. The road to Coumarine City took a few more hours to complete, but Liz, Dominic, Charmeleon (who still hated it whenever I raised her Pokeball to return her), and I kept going, enjoying the smell of hot grass, the gentle sun, and the kiss of the seabreeze that reminded us of home. It reminded the humans of home, at least, as we were all from Cyllage City, a place on Kalos's western coast, and the only differences between here and there were the temperature and the substitution of grasslands for cliffs and mesas. I had no idea where Charmeleon was from. Maybe the smell reminded her of home too. I did notice that she occasionally played games and had conversations with Liz's Eevee, though.

Coumarine City was beautiful, a city build into the rolling hills beside the sea. Around us, well-polished cobblestones provided a great base for a seaside market and a dock, filled with the gleaming white of boats that promised adventure on the high seas. Liz pointed out the hotel and the monorail, which would take us up to the Gym and a second part of the sprawling city.

We explored the market first, which was surprisingly relaxed and low-key for a bazaar. At one stall, the vendor sold items like Calcium and Zinc, telling everyone about how strong the items would make Pokemon. I considered buying some, but changed my mind after I saw the prices. Another merchant told us about the different kinds of incense he had gathered from around the world, but the smells of all the different incenses, delicious on their own, mixed together to form a putrid cloud that turned us green. Finally, a merchant selling berries told us to help ourselves to one free berry. On Liz's advice, I chose a Lum Berry, which could cure any status condition Ramos threw at me.

I wanted to stop by the Pokemon Center before challenging Ramos, so I followed Liz to the monorail station. Inside was somebody I had met before.

"Diantha?"

"Oh, hi, Wes, Dominic," she said, turning away from her conversation with the monorail worker, "It's nice to see the two of you again, rising stars of Pokemon training."

"Thank you," I said, surprised by her compliment.

"Nice to meet you as well," she said, speaking to Liz.

"My name is Liz," said Liz, clearly not knowing what else to say in the presence of someone so famous.

"You're a Pokemon trainer too, I presume?" inquired Diantha. After Liz's nervous agreement, she began to talk, "It's great to see people striving together with Pokemon. I want you to have this. Share it."

She handed Liz what looked like a different type of TM disk. "That contains the move Fly. A fan gave it to me a few minutes ago, but I have no need for it. It's not only a useful move in battle, it has other applications as well, which I'm sure you'll enjoy discovering for yourself. Here's a hint: have you ever dreamed of riding a Pokemon across the sky?"

She laughed, a sound that reminded me of the chime of a bell, and then kept talking, "Bonds are the most important part of your journey, whether they are with your Pokemon or with your human companions. Whenever I'm acting, I'm always thinking about forming bonds between myself and the character I'm playing. If all I think about is how I'm nothing like my part, then I'll just hate playing it. But if I focus on what I have in common with the character, and put myself in her shoes, then I might be able to understand her. And I'm not just talking about putting the props on my feet!"

"It's the same for people – or Pokemon," she continued. Wow, she had a lot to say. "Oh, never mind me! I'm just babbling about my own things. Let's have a battle the next time we meet, shall we? I'll be looking forward to it!"

She left, and we turned our attention to the smug monorail worker who quipped, "Even celebrities like Diantha ride the monorail. Visitors always have a _one-track _ mind about it. How's that for a one liner?"

Dominic groaned at the incredibly lame pun, and the now frowning worker gestured for us to board the small monorail. Although it moved slowly, the beautiful view made the ride worth it. As the train slowly climbed its way up the side of the gentle hill, I looked out over the pristine shores of Azure Bay, the sun reflecting off the ripples in the water, dark bands of deep blue water cutting through the light cyan of the shallows. After a little while, the monorail reached the top station, where the other half of this sprawling, classy city was tucked into the hill. From up here, the view was even better than it had been on the monorail, and we could see both the Azure Bay and, in the other direction, the desert of the Lumiose Badlands. When I asked her why the TM for Fly looked different, Liz answered me that it was an HM, a specialized kind of TM optimized for moves used outside of battle.

After we stopped at the Pokemon Center and had the Nurse check our Pokemon, I headed to the Gym while Liz and Dominic went off to explore the city and do some training. Ramos, unlike Korrina, didn't allow anybody to watch during challenges. Liz gave me some advice about battling Grass Pokemon and then she and Dominic wandered off.

I walked into the Coumarine City Gym, and returned Charmeleon, who acted indignant as usual. Signs informed me: _Coumarine City Gym. Leader: Ramos. The old growth is still in bloom!_ I recognized a few names carved into the white pillars, Doric columns of white and green marble. Liz, obviously, but also Caen, the clumsy guy who had utterly beaten me back at the Muraille Coast. I looked forward to battling him again sometime and getting some payback.

The Gym was a lot bigger than it had seemed from the outside. From a field of grass that had been groomed to grow patterns in different colors a huge sculpture of a tree rose, hewn from the same white and green marble that the Gym statues were made of. Platforms ringed the enormous monument to nature, held up by beautiful columns carved in classical styles and connected by ropes and nets. Leaves fell gently from the canopy at the top, and Gym Trainers wearing red patrolled the platforms, training with their grass-type Pokemon.

"Wes, you're here," said a girl that I recognized, swinging down a rope to come meet me.

"Evelyn! Hey!" I called, genuinely happy to see her again. She smiled, an expression even more beautiful than it had been last time.

"You were just in Santalune City a few days ago, and I heard you beat Korrina. You must be quite the trainer to be defeating leaders this fast! I can't wait to battle you! To challenge Ramos, you'll need to climb this tree using the ropes and defeat the trainers who are standing in your way. He's up at the top of the tree in his own personal study. It shouldn't be a problem to get to him for a trainer like you. Anyway, I'll be waiting at the top to battle you right before you get to Ramos. Lucky you, you get to battle two Leaders!" she said with a laugh, "See you at the top!"

Evelyn happily jumped onto a nearby rope and started climbing, moving with the easy grace of practice. I followed her, climbing up to the first platform and then swinging over to the right. A net was below me, presumably to stop falling trainers and Pokemon. A Gym Trainer stopped me on the platform for a battle and Evelyn continued climbing her way to the top.

"You know Ramos's apprentice?" asked the trainer, "Hey, are you Wes?"

"Yeah," I answered, wondering how he knew my name.

"Evelyn was talking about this amazing battle you had with Viola," he said, "Well, you may be good, but even you can't conquer nature! I'll beat you with the power of green!"

He sent out a green, simian Pokemon that I had never seen before, saying, "Simisage, use the power of green!"

"Go, Shelgon!" I called, sending out my armored friend.

"Lick!" called my opponent.

Ew. The move was so creepy that I just watched in horror as Simisage swung over and ran its drooling tongue over Shelgon's armor, too disgusted to call a move.

"Gross!" I called, "Shelgon, use Dragonbreath!"

Shelgon fired a beam of rage plasma at Simisage, undoubtedly fueled by its indignation at being Licked.

"Leer!" called my opponent.

Simisage used the move, which was familiar to me from the time my Bagon had known it.

"Finish it with Ember!" I called, but Shelgon disobeyed me and showed off a new move instead, using Fire Fang to finish off Simisage.

"You're as good as Evelyn said," exclaimed the Gym Trainer, "From where do you get that power?" He gave me the prize money, which was much more than I was expecting.

I continued, going up and around the beautiful marble tree and defeating Gym Trainers as I advanced. At one point I had to go down to get back up. Finally, after defeating five Gym Trainers, I faced Evelyn. I was glad to finally be done with the Gym. All the climbing around was hurting my side, and the painkillers were running low.

We were high up on the tree. Around us, a small marble fence enclosed the platform on two sides; the third side which was behind Evelyn was open, and a swinging rope led to Ramos; the fourth side was attatched to the tree with the rope I had climbed up on. Above us, the Gym opened to the sky, and sunlight filtered stunningly down through the canopy of leaves.

"I knew you'd make it up here," said Evelyn, "Can you believe Ramos built this whole thing by himself? He really knows what beauty is! He goes up and down it every day, tending to the flowers and grass and making sure the ropes are secure. He's an amazing man. I asked him if I could take your challenge in his place, but he refused. How many Pokemon do you have with you?"

"Four," I answered: Shelgon, Fraxure, Charmeleon, and Flaaffy.

"Alright," she said, flicking her black hair with one hand and retrieving a Pokeball attached to her belt, bright green against her skinny black jeans, "The battle will be four on four with no substitutions. I'm not the Leader yet, but I can still crush you!"

"Go, Ferroseed!" she said.

A small Pokemon covered in vicious barbs appeared and gave me a bone-chilling glare.

"Go, Flaaffy!" I called. I wanted to save my Pokemon with Fire moves for later, especially if she had surprises in her strategy. A second later, I realized that was a huge mistake.

"Stealth Rock!" she called. Ferroseed launched into a high speed spin and scattered pointed stones all over the battlefield. If I sent out any new Pokemon, they would have to step on them.

"Fire, Flying, Bug, Ice," said Evelyn, "Grass has a lot of weaknesses. Here's my way of getting revenge! Try sending in a Pokemon with an advantage now!"

"Hey, that's a cool strategy!" I said, impressed. I should have sent out Charmeleon first. Now she would get hurt on the rocks.

"Oh, you think so?" she said, dropping the self-assured gloating and smiling, "Thanks. Teaching Ferroseed that move was really difficult."

"Thunder Wave, Flaaffy," I called.

Flaaffy used Thunder Wave, sending ripples of lightning through the air. Before the move could hit its target, Evelyn called one of her own.

"Leech Seed!"

Ferroseed threw seeds onto Flaaffy that got stuck in his wool. That would take a while to groom out. A second later, Ferroseed started sparking and moving jerkily as the Thunder Wave hit and the seeds sprouted and started to wrap vines around Flaaffy's body.

"Discharge!" I called. Flaaffy released the burning electricity at Ferroseed, struggling against the vines that threatened to choke him.

"Your Flaaffy really wants this win," commented Evelyn, "Most other Pokemon would be unconscious by now with those Leech Seeds draining their health. It'll faint soon, though, just wait. And Ferroseed, just relax. Don't fight the paralysis, it's pointless. Just wait for the win."

Ferroseed relaxed as Flaaffy kept using Discharge, but as Flaaffy grew weaker under the strain, Ferroseed seemed to grow stronger. After a few turns of watching the battle it grew physically painful for me and I wanted to return Flaaffy but couldn't because of Stealth Rock.

"Use Gyro Ball whenever you feel up to it," Evelyn told Ferroseed.

Ferroseed harnessed the power of the next Discharge, and used it for electromagnetism, being able to do that thanks to its Steel typing. It flung itself at Flaaffy, stabbing him with its thorns while spinning like a barbed drill.

"Good Job, Flaaffy," I told my defeated Pokemon, ready to return him and give Evelyn credit for an excellent battle style.

However, Flaaffy wasn't ready to lose. He really did want the win, like Evelyn said. He opened his eyes and started to pulse with a blue light, rings of energy swirling around him. He ran over to Ferroseed, teeth gritted and struggling against the vines and the brutal damage he had just taken. He touched the blue gemstone on his tail to Ferroseed and Discharged directly into Evelyn's Pokemon, who started glowing with electrical heat.

"Whoa, Ferroseed, that's enough," she said, recalling Ferroseed, "Good job, you'll win next time."

We both watched as Flaaffy evolved into Ampharos, the red gems on his head and tail shining bright. A second later he collapsed, totally spent.

"Amazing, Ampharos," I said, "That was just incredible."

I returned him and sent out Fraxure next, shouting, "Look out!" It didn't do much good as Fraxure fell on the rocks and hurt herself anyway.

"Alright, Grovyle!" she called.

As the rocks were on my side of the battlefield, Grovyle avoided them completely. Grovyle was a really cool looking Pokemon, with the crest on his and spikes on its arms shaped like leaves and a lithe, athletic build.

"Dragon Dance!" I called.

Fraxure roared and powered herself up.

"Agility!" called Evelyn.

Grovyle blurred around the battlefield, moving at speeds faster than Fraxure could manage after using Dragon Dance. After using it once, I realized.

"Dragon Dance!" I called again.

This time, the ribbons of energy were even more impressive, discharging in black and crimson. Fraxure's speed and attack power would now be unstoppable.

"Swords Dance!" she called.

The blades on Grovyle's arms became coated in a blue and white energy and grew to double their size.

We called our next moves at the exact same time:

"Dual Chop! Burn it!"

"Leaf Blade! Dual Wielding!"

My Fraxure performed a modified dual chop, her arms lit with purple fire. Evelyn's Grovyle performed a modified Leaf Blade, hitting multiple times. Both of the charged at each other and met in the center of the platform.

A second later, the moves had happened, too fast for us to see, and two unconscious Pokemon fell to the battlefield.

We smiled at each other, both of us getting into the battle now that it was obvious we were evenly matched.

"Shelgon!" I called, sending out my next Pokemon. His armor dampened the impact of the Stealth Rock.

"Quilladin!" she called, "Let's win this!"

Her next Pokemon appeared, and our Pokemon stood glaring at each other, each protect by its own tough shell.

"Take Down!" called Evelyn.

"Protect!" I countered.

Quilladin charged harmlessly into Shelgon's shield, held back by the glowing white hexagonal pattern of energy.

"Fire Fang!" I called.

"Spiky Shield!" she countered.

Shelgon harmlessly bit down with flaming jaws on Quilladin's shield, held back and damaged by the luminescent green spiked wall of force.

"All or nothing!" called Evelyn, "Belly Drum!"

Quilladin growled ferociously and beat on its shell, beginning to hiss and pop with energy.

"Fire Fang!" I called.

Shelgon took advantage of Quilladin's vulnerable position and bit down hard, dealing massive damage to Evelyn's Pokemon.

"Needle Arm!" she called, "Use your ability to get even stronger!"

Quilladin tapped into its Overgrow ability, adding that power to the tremendous boost it had from using Belly Drum and charged. Shelgon took Quilladin's fully powered move and went flying off the platform, hitting a net below where I was able to return him to his Pokeball.

"How much power did that have?" I asked incredulously.

"Not as much as it could have," said Evelyn sadly, "You're lucky a Dragon type took that move."

The idea of an even stronger version of that move made me shudder. Quilladin shuddered too, but not in fear. Quilladin started to pulse with energy, and rings of power wrapped around him, stretching and expanding him outward. The energy cleared, revealing a taller, more muscular Pokemon with a larger, more spiked shell on its back and arms.

"Haha, Chesnaught!" cried Evelyn happily, "This is going to impress Ramos!"

"Whoa," I said, "Speaking of a more powerful move…"

"Yeah, be afraid," she said with a smile, "I'm crushing you as promised. But don't give up, Wes. I've seen the teamwork between you and Charmeleon. This is going to be one great battle!"

I sent out Charmeleon, my last Pokemon. Evelyn had a weakened Chesnaught with unstoppable power that was on the verge of fainting and one last Pokemon. Charmeleon winced as she took damage from the Stealth Rock.

"Flame Burst!" I called, "Don't let it get off one move!"

"Spiky Shield!" she called, determined not to let Chesnaught faint.

"Aim up!" I decided, deciding to take advantage of what I'd seen before. Unlike Protect, Spiky Shield provided a circle of protection that only blocked moves from one direction.

Charmeleon used Flame Burst, firing it directly at the sky. Tendrils of fire rained everywhere, defeating Chesnaught and extinguishing themselves against the marble tree.

"It's the final round!" called Evelyn with excitement, "Serperior!"

The Pokeball hit the ground and bounced back. Evelyn caught it and stowed it on her belt as Serperior unfolded its head in a circle of light, the yellow patterns on its back glowing in the dim light that filtered down from above.

"Fire Fang!" I called.

"Coil!" yelled Evelyn.

Serperior wrapped around itself, forcing Charmeleon to bite the toughened scales on its back instead of vulnerable belly.

"Now Wrap!" she called, not letting up.

Serperior twisted itself around Charmeleon and started to squeeze the breath out of her.

"Flame Burst!" I called, but Charmeleon was struggling to get free, her movements getting weaker every second, and she couldn't follow my suggestion.

"Slam," said Evelyn, pointing over the side of the platform.

Serperior slithered over to the edge and cracked its body like a whip. I winced as I heard Charmeleon hit the ground far below.

Charmeleon roared, down on the ground where she had landed, filled with defiance. She got to one knee, struggling to stand up.

"You can do it!" I called, hoping she could hear me that far down where she looked tiny.

Evelyn wasn't allowing that to happen.

"Hyper Beam!" she called.

The glowing yellow patterns on Serperior's back burning bright with a blindingly dark light. Serperior fired a beam of pure darkness into Charmeleon, and kept it going for a few minutes while Charmeleon struggled through it, the darkness pouring off her skin like a waterfall.

"What?" Evelyn said, "How is it taking that move?"

Down below, Charmeleon sprouted wings of pure energy and roared as rings of blue and white force wrapped around her. She flew up, Serperior keeping the Hyper Beam trained on her the whole time, its eyes widening in shock as Charmeleon struggled higher and higher, grunting and flapping her unreal wings slowly.

Charmeleon reached the platform where we were standing and blasted Serperior with white-hot flame, the flame reaching back and coursing over her body as well, turning her one horn into two, extending her tail, and washing up over the tips of her wings, making them real.

Charizard roared, hovering over the defeated Serperior. Welcome to the team.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey! Anybody who's still reading is either a fan or just likes finishing what they start, and I like both kinds of people. So if you're reading this note, know that you're awesome. Please review, and know that the more dramatic plot is about to start, after I've been giving little hints and foreshadowings for 12 chapters. Also thank you to Fanof-Skitty! You reviewed! I like Skitty too!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13: Blockades

Chapter 13

"Charizard is the victor. The match goes to Wes!" called Evelyn. Ramos returned his unconscious Gogoat that had taken an impressive amount of fire moves before going down.

The badge was small, shaped like a leaf with a drop of water running down the side.

"Yeh can't take things too quickly when it comes to forming a friendship with yer Pokemon, sprout," said Ramos, "Yeh believe in yer Pokemon, and they believe in you, too. Mighty oaks from acorns grow. Have this, too. Might as well make hay while the sun shines, I always say."

Ramos gave me a green TM, explaining its use, "That TM there is for Grass Knot. Yeh can use it to trip yer opponent up in the grass. The heavier the opponent, the harder it'll fall – and the more it'll hurt. Ain't it a marvel? Frail little blades o' grass can break through concrete, even. I can't help admirin' that strength."

Ramos opened a doorway that led down into the marble monument and out.

"Yeh need go an' do some more trainin', Evelyn," he said to the girl who had just refereed our match, "Don't yeh remember our last battle? Yer Pokemon are startin' to bloom. Get out there and take great care of 'em so they'll grow into what yeh want 'em to be!"

"Yes, Ramos," she said with a polite bow. She walked with me out of the Gym.

"Great job, Wes," she said, "You too, Charizard." That was addressed to the Pokemon beside me. She had just won the Gym battle.

"Yeah, Charizard, you were awesome!" I said, high fiving her since I could no longer rub her head or let her ride my shoulder. She roared in agreement, the sound stronger than it had ever been.

Fraxure had done well in the battle too, but unlike Charizard she liked resting and practicing her moves in her Pokemon instead of traveling the routes with me. I wondered what it was like for Pokemon in the virtual world inside their Pokeballs. Inventors like Cassius, Lanette, and Bill had worked on making that world as realistic as possible. Supposedly, you couldn't tell the difference. There was even a way to network your Pokeballs so that all of your Pokemon occupied the same virtual world, which Liz had done for Dominic and me back in Shalour. I had heard people talking about an invention the Lumiose Gym Leader had made called Super Training which allowed Pokemon to raise their base stats in the virtual world. The people in one of the cafés in Lumiose were obsessed with it.

"I couldn't have beat him without battling you first," I said to Evelyn.

She laughed and agreed, "Everybody evolved during that battle, right? It's because it was the best one they'd ever fought!"

"You know what," I said, "You were a lot stronger than Ramos."

"Well, yeah," she said, flicking her hair, "My Pokemon are stronger than that team, but that's nothing close to his strongest team."

"He held back?" I said, confused.

"Alright, so you don't know that about Gym Leaders? It's okay, there aren't many who do. All the Leaders you've battled were probably holding back when they battled you. What do you think the point of Gym Trainers is? Leaders watch battles between them and their challengers to decide the best way to test the person without crushing them outright or making it too easy, and then pick their team accordingly," she explained, "There's a place where they don't hold back though: the Pokemon World Tournament in Unova. I went there one time to watch Ramos compete. The Leaders there used strategies that I didn't know existed!"

"Really?" I said.

"Yeah," she answered, "Anyway, Ramos wants me to do more training. I battled his strongest team and he beat me in about five seconds. He told me to travel around and do some training so I would be strong enough to take over from him. He likes my Pokemon, though!"

"Hey, if you're traveling around, do you want to travel with me?" I asked, my heart racing for some reason.

"Alright! That sounds fun!" she agreed with a beautiful smile, "And we can have more great battles."

We kept talking, now just rehashing our awesome battle, which had been much more exciting than my battle with Ramos. I complemented her solid-wall Ferroseed, talked about her questionable decision to have only Normal moves on her Serperior, and we both talked about how crazy similar our Grovyle and Fraxure were. She made a joke about my Pokemon doing better when I wasn't calling moves, which seemed kind of true when I realized that half of my wins came from my Pokemon evolving when they were about to lose.

We went back to the Pokemon Center to heal our Pokemon, finding Dominic and Liz already there, laughing and throwing berries at each and their Pokemon while a frowning Nurse looked on. The Nurse noticed them wave to me as Evelyn and I gave her our Pokemon.

"Do you know those people?" she asked with an upturned nose. When I made a noise of agreement she continued, "Tell them to stop right now. They're disturbing my atmosphere of calm."

"It looks like they're having fun," said Liz, "That girl's Eevee is so cute!"

"Who cares if they're having fun?" demanded the Nurse, "Any Pokemon Center run by Nurse Hope has an atmosphere of calm. I am Nurse Hope! SO THEY NEED TO STOP RIGHT NOOOOOOW!"

Everyone in the Center turned to look at the bellowing Nurse with absolute horror, and people started leaving. The Cashiers in the Pokemart section sighed in resignation, obviously having seen this before. Dominic, Liz, and Delphox started picking up berries while the rest of their Pokemon stood still, petrified with fear.

Dominic and Liz recalled their teams; a frightened Eevee raced up to Liz's shoulder. They quickly left, and we waited in awkward silence as our Pokemon recovered before doing the same. I had wanted to wash my clothes in the washing machine in the back: I had only brought four sets of clothes to pack light, so the three that I wasn't wearing at the time had to be washed every few days. But I definitely wasn't going to ask Nurse Hope to use her washing machine.

Dominic and Liz were waiting for us outside the Center.

"How'd your battle go?" asked Liz.

"I won!" I said proudly, "Also, meet Evelyn. She's going to be the next Leader of this Gym."

"Hi, Evelyn!" said Liz, "My name's Liz."

"Hey," said Dominic, "I'm Dominic."

"I've been traveling with them," I told Evelyn.

"Oh," she said, looking a little disappointed, "So it won't be just us."

Merde. I needed to change the subject.

"So, Dominic, are you ready for your challenge?" I asked.

"Sure," he answered, "I'll go now."

Dominic went off toward the Gym and Liz said she wanted to do some training in the Lumiose Badlands for her upcoming battle against Clemont. Evelyn and I decided to just walk around town.

"It's fine," I said, "They're cool." I wanted her to travel with us, and I was pretty sure I knew why she was acting this way. I looked at her beautiful eyes again, deciding to make some time for just the two of us later.

"Okay," she said, "I mean, I'm still going to come along, but I was looking forward to, you know, a smaller group."

We walked up to top of the hill by the Gym in a slightly awkward silence. Finally, Evelyn broke it.

"Tell me about your journey. What's happened to you so far?"

I threw Charizard's Pokeball, allowing her free range like she wanted. She flew around, testing out her new wings with excitement.

I began with the errand I had run for the man in exchange for Bagon.

"You delivered a box of something in exchange for a Pokemon?" asked Evelyn incredulously, "What was in it?"

"I really don't know," I admitted, "It said something on the side… I don't remember." I had the feeling that I should know, that I had heard of it again later.

I kept going, talking about meeting Liz, battling the members of Flare in the cave, and getting injured by the woman's Drapion.

"Her name was Celosia," I said, "I'm not really sure how I know, but I do."

"I'm so sorry you got hurt," she said, showing a lot of sympathy. After I assured her that it was okay a sufficient number of times, she commented, "All of this strange stuff happens to you. It's kind of exciting."

"Yeah," I said, "And I haven't even gotten to the part about Mega Evolution yet."

"What?"

I kept going, telling her all about what I had done so far. It took a longer time than I had expected.

I asked her about her journey, and she told me how she had started. She had been rock climbing with her dad, and during the trip she accidentally fell and broke her leg. On her way home, her dad helping her take every step, a stampede of Sawsbuck had charged from nowhere and been about to trample them. However, Ramos, who was nearby gathering new plants for his gym, had heard the commotion and saved both of them. After that, she had wanted to be a Gym Leader like him, and, with the approval of her dad, set out on a journey.

"I came here to challenge Ramos for the first time two years ago," she said, "I was just starting out then."

"Did he hold back?" I asked.

"A lot," she admitted with embarrassment, "He used a Hoppip and a Skiddo. Anyway, that's the badge I wear." She pointed to the necklace she wore that had the Coumarine City badge attatched like a pendant.

I looked up, seeing Charizard fly across the late afternoon sun.

"I asked him if I could be his apprentice and take over as the Gym Leader when he retired. He said that if I proved myself, I could. So since then, I've been traveling around and training. Someday, I'm going to beat him at his best and prove that I have what it takes."

"Wes, Evelyn!" called Liz, running up to us with desert dust in her light brown hair.

"Hey, Liz," I said. Beside me, Evelyn waved.

"They aren't letting us by on route 13. You know, the highway that cuts through the Lumiose Badlands? I'm so angry! People are standing in my way again!" vented Liz.

"Whoa, chill out," I said, remembering that she had been this way in Glittering Cave too.

"What's wrong?" asked Evelyn, "Why aren't they letting you through?"

"They said it was a power outage," answered Liz.

"A power outage? That's not even possible. The Kalos Power plant is right there in the desert," said Evelyn, "Wes, let's check it out. It's a Gym Leader's job to handle things like this. You can come too if you want, Liz."

Just then Dominic came running up to us, proudly clutching a new badge.

"Let's all go!" said Liz, halfway between angry and excited.

I used my potions on Dominic's Pokemon, not wanting to face the wrath of Nurse Hope again, and we all walked south. Liz and Evelyn talked about the Coumarine Gym for a little while, with Dominic occasionally throwing in comments.

A stone gateway separated Coumarine City from the Badlands. Inside, a scientist discussed the power outage with a receptionist. The receptionist admitted that she had no idea what was happening; she had been calling the Power Plant workers but no one had picked up, and there were reports of a blackout in Lumiose City.

"So what are we doing again?" asked Dominic.

"I'm investigating and you're coming along," answered Evelyn, "But you don't have to."

"No, I need to get through here for my next badge," said Dominic, "I need that for Mega Evolution."

"Oh, yeah," Evelyn said, "Wes was talking about that. I'm going to come along and watch you three use that. It sounds amazing."

Liz then began to repeat Sycamore's lecture on Mega Evolution.

Through the gate, there was a small hill with trees and grass on it, and a guardrail that people could lean against and look out over the vast desert, where sandstorms ripped away at the ground and the imposing, alien shape of the Power Plant loomed like a lookout.

From here, I could see people entering and exiting the Plant's steel doors. Even though they were ducking through a sandstorm, what they wore was unmistakable, and Liz and I both recognized it. An ache of pain shot through my side and I took a painkiller.

"Damn," I said, "It's Flare."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: And here we go. I'm honestly pretty excited about writing the next part. To James95: I guess I have been rushing things to get to route 14, but I'll slow them down. I didn't show any of Dominic's Gym battles for a reason: I thought that doing multiple battles against the same Gym Leader would get boring. But I'll show Dominic battling a leader if you want. <strong>


	14. Chapter 14: Snowdrifts

Chapter 14

* * *

><p>"No," I said, "This is stupid."<p>

"Wes, it's my job to handle to handle crises like this," insisted Evelyn. I wanted to remind her that she wasn't a Gym Leader yet.

"Come on Wes, we did this before," said Liz, yelling to be heard over the sudden howl of wind.

"Yeah," I answered, "Look how that turned out!" Sand blew into my mouth and I started trying to spit it out.

"Who else is going to do this?" asked Evelyn, "The Police?" It was true: Kalos's police force was weak and underfunded; it couldn't accomplish anything. Any case that mattered had to have an officer from the international police called in. I even heard that some people got frustrated with the lack of a police force and dressed up as Heroes of Kalos, acting as amateur vigilantes. Our police force was that pathetic.

"Dude, this is your chance for payback," said Dominic.

"Come on Wes," begged Evelyn, "We'll need your skills if we're going to stand a chance. Please?"

"Fine," I said, giving in mainly because it was Evelyn, "I'll help you storm the Power Plant. Do you realize how crazy that sounds?"

The four of us and Charizard walked through the desert toward the small metal booths that allowed access to the mess of domes, tunnels, and geothermal vents that provided energy to the whole Kalos region.

"Merde!" I swore, the ground giving way beneath me.

"Wes!" cried Evelyn.

I had fallen into a cone-shaped pit in the sand. A Pokemon waited at the bottom, snapping its jaws.

"Wes, that's a Trapinch," said Liz, "And it's female, by the way."

"Really?" asked Evelyn. She obviously didn't know Liz, or she wouldn't have questioned the random facts at innapropriate times.

"Charizard!" I called, "Fire Fang! And help me out of here!"

I didn't want to call Flame Burst or Dragon Rage because I thought the moves would spread up the side of the pit and hit me, too. Charizard swooped in to use her move, but the wild Trapinch counterattacked, slamming into Charizard and knocking her twenty meters away.

"That's the move Superpower!" said Liz, "That's a really high-level move!"

"It could be an egg move," suggested Evelyn, "The Baa de Mer Ranch breeds Pokemon with superior moves, and sometimes they escape and terrorize Coumarine City. Ramos and I have had to handle a few of them. I guess one found its way here. It's worth catching, Wes."

I shrugged and pulled out a Pokeball, switching it to scan mode and locking it on to the wild Trapinch. The wild Trapinch launched straight at me, and I just hit it- her, according to Liz- with the Pokeball instead of throwing it. The Pokeball shook three times in my hand and then clicked with a shower of sparks.

Dominic and Charizard helped me climb out of the pit and we continued.

"Look who's back! The children who don't know not to play with fire!" called a Flare member, futilely attempting to brush the dirt off of his orange suit.

"This is Flare?" demanded Dominic, "How can you take yourself seriously?"

"Burn them, Houndour!" he called. I recognized him: Liz had beaten him with my Bagon in Glittering Cave.

"Blastoise!" called Dominic, sending out a Pokemon, "Guess who just evolved? He probably needs better opponents than trash like you, though."

"Ember!" called the Flare member.

"Aqua Tail!" countered Dominic.

Blastoise turned around, materializing a wave of powerful water behind his shell and knocking aside the Ember, the Houndour, and the Flare member in one hit. I saw something fall out of his pocket as he was hit.

"At least I lost in style!" lied the Flare member, the brown sand now sticking to his wet orange suit.

I picked up what had been knocked away from the man and dried it off on my shirt, "It's a Power Plant Pass. We can get in with this."

"No! Give that back!" cried the soaking member of Flare, lunging at me. Dominic hit him with another Aqua Tail.

We stepped over him and I scanned the Pass at the metal booth behind him. The panel flashed green and the door clicked open. I returned Charizard and we stepped in.

Inside, the atmosphere was completely different than the desert. Industrial walls of sheet metal and a metal floor that made no sound as we walked surrounded us, everything lit by strips of light that glowed a cool, calming blue. We walked down a long, empty hallway, and then through a doorway with two purple strips of light on either side.

Eevee, riding on Liz's shoulder, whimpered, sensing something bad.

"What is the problem with these Flare people?" asked Evelyn, "Why are they doing this?"

"I'm sure we'll find out when we stop them," commented Liz.

"Who cares?" said Dominic, "They're an obstacle in our way. We'll tear them down."

"Celosia knows," I said, "If she's here, let's ask her. Or just force it out of her."

That statement drew concerned looks from Liz and Evelyn and an approving nod from Dominic.

We walked through a room lit with green lighting, and another man who was part of Flare wandered down to intercept us.

"Who are you? Only authorized personnel are allowed in here!" he demanded.

"The Coumarine City Gym sent us to find out why there's a blackout here," said Evelyn, "Care to explain it to us?"

"What? The Gym?" asked the Flare member, "Get out!"

To punctuate his statement, he threw a Pokeball that contained a Scraggy, a Pokemon who looked identical to Dominic's Scraggy.

"I'll take this one," said Evelyn, sending out Chesnaught and calling a Takedown.

Scraggy fainted, and Liz's opponent sent out a Croagunk next. She blocked its Poison Jab with Spiky Shield and then knocked it out with Needle Arm.

The man backed up in a panic, asking, "Just who are you people?"

"What's going on here?" demanded Evelyn. Chesnaught stomped the ground for emphasis.

"We of Flare are busy—redirecting the power supply to Lumiose City. Don't get in our way!" he called the last part as he ran away in panic.

Evelyn rubbed Chesnaught's chin, congratulating him. He closed his eyes, enjoying it. She then returned her Pokemon and we kept going.

Another member of Flare, a woman this time, intercepted us up ahead, asking, "Are you trying to play us for fools? You don't seriously think that four teenagers playing hooky can just barge in here and take us all on, do you?" Personally, I thought she made a good point.

Liz took her on, using her Eevee's Double Edge to knock out the woman's Golbat.

"I can't believe I just lost," she said, "I must look like such a fool."

Liz chased her away with Eevee's Swift. We watched her sprint away deeper into the Power Plant, fleeing the star-shaped rays Eevee was firing at her.

We walked into another room, this one much bigger than the ones we had been in before. We were on a metal catwalk that ringed a huge room with a column that glowed with electricity in the center. Pipes on the floor below fed into the central column. Members of Flare stood around the catwalk, and a man, dressed in white instead of orange, and Celosia stood on the platform in the center, next to the huge column.

"It's her," I said, "We have to get there."

"That's Celosia?" asked Evelyn, "That woman with purple hair?" I nodded.

"Let's go," said Dominic.

Five Flare members ambushed us at once. Liz and Dominic took them on together, telling Evelyn and me to go on. I managed to duck under the Pokemon moves flying everywhere and avoid a flying tackle from a Flare member.

Evelyn got through a second later and we ran around the catwalk, our feet clanking off the metal, the crackling electricity in the pipes below visible through the grated floor. We raced up the staircase to the central platform.

Ahead of us, a man with a shaved head and deathly-pale skin wearing a white suit was asking Celosia about something. She was checking her strange, purple glowing visor and staring at the central generator.

"How much longer?" demanded the man in white.

"We have almost enough energy to power the device," she answered, "Only a little while longer."

"This is unsatisfactory," he declared, "There's still work to be done. We need to finish up here and move out."

"I assure you: I'm working as fast as I can," Celosia insisted, adding under her breath, "So lame."

"I should have brought Aliana with me," said the man, folding his arms in resignation.

"Wes!" said Celosia, turning and seeing me standing there. She looked shocked. How did she know my name?

"What's this?" asked the man, stepping toward me, "I didn't think anyone remained here after we dealt with the workers. Well, as an Admin of Flare, this is my responsibility. Keep working."

The Admin punched his hand, clapping his orange gloves together. He sent out a Mightyena.

"This one's mine," said Evelyn, "Go on."

She sent out her Serperior and I walked past.

"Wes," said Celosia, backing up against the railing as I approached.

"Celosia," I said.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "About everything. I didn't realize it was you in that cave."

"How do you know me?" I demanded, completely confused.

"You knew my name too. How do you know me?" she responded.

"I… We were…" I felt like I was so close to remembering.

"It doesn't matter. You need to get out now. I have something to do," she said, "Something that will help us all." Tears fell from the sides of her visor.

"No," I insisted, "Tell me."

"I can't, Wes," she said sadly, "Not right now. Please leave. I don't want to hurt you again."

A small shockwave from behind passed over us, ruffling my blond hair. I looked over my shoulder to see Serperior using Hyper Beam on Mightyena, who was defending itself with protect.

"I'll make it painless," she said, more to herself than me, "Go, Froslass!"

Her Pokemon appeared floating in the air, uncurling its limbs and raising its head with the sound of a frozen scream.

"Keep him back with Ice Beam," she instructed, "Don't hurt him."

"What? No, you can't do that." She ignored me, turning back to the computer she had installed next to the generator. I stepped forward, but Froslass put a blockade of ice in my way.

"Charizard!" I called, throwing her Pokeball at the wall of ice, "Melt it!"

"Wes, I'm almost done here," said Celosia, "Really, it's just another minute for the device to charge so this lame mission is over with. We don't have to fight."

"No!" I heard from behind me as the Admin fell to his knees, "This loss is 100% my fault."

Evelyn ran up to beside me, Serperior behind her.

"And we're done," said Celosia, hitting a button on her eyewear.

"Tell me what's going on!" I demanded.

"Return the power to where it should go!" demanded Evelyn.

"The power will go back to normal when I leave," she said, "And Wes, you… When we meet again, it will be different. I promise. Blizzard!"

Froslass outstretched her arms, raising her head to the sky. A hurricane of white and cold blew through the room, blinding me. I reached out and found Evelyn's hand, making sure I knew where she was.

The snow cleared after about a minute. When I could see again, I noticed that the room was now empty of everyone from Flare. On the catwalk, Dominic, Liz, Eevee, Zangoose, and Mawile were huddled together, buried in snow.

"How did you know that woman?" asked Evelyn, returning her Serperior who looked miserable in the now-freezing room.

"I don't know," I admitted, "I just don't know."


	15. Chapter 15: Moonlight

Chapter 15

* * *

><p>We kept going, crossing the desert as the sun set. Ahead, we could see the lights begin to glow again at Lumiose City.<p>

None of us said much, drained by what had just happened. Evelyn would look at me with concern every so often, snow and sand trapped in her black hair. I would look back at her with what I hoped was reassurance, but I honestly was as confused as she was.

Who was Celosia? Where did I know her from? The thoughts were driving me crazy.

The moon slowly rose as the sun died and fell to the horizon. All of us were exhausted and ready to get to Lumiose City. The only one having fun was Liz's Eevee, who had loved the cold and enjoyed Froslass's Blizzard, but the little Pokemon's energy only grated on our nerves.

We were all like that: tired, burned out, and unhappy, when I saw it. Maybe one of the others saw it too; I don't know. Nobody said anything about it though, because of how unreal it seemed in the darkness.

A giant man, with long, white hair walking alone through the desert. He might have been talking.

"The Pokemon."

"The flower Pokemon."

"The Pokemon that was given eternal life."

We kept walking and the idea of him melted away like a cloud in the night sky, its darkness and mystery cloaked by the darkness around it, a secret buried in secrets.

Celosia.

* * *

><p>I was helpless as my skin burned in the heat. In front of me, a house hissed and crackled, covered in fire and bathed in screams.<p>

I struggled to get free but the girl was holding me as usual, crying, tears escaping from either side of her purple visor.

The dream was different this time: the person holding me and stopping me from going anywhere was Celosia.

* * *

><p>My eyes opened. As usual, after waking up from my dream, it was dark.<p>

I looked around. It was a Pokemon Center in Lumiose, a place I had gotten used to waking up in recently. Evelyn was sleeping on the couch nearby, and Dominic and Liz were on the floor wrapped in sleeping bags. Eevee was curled up close to Liz, the Pokemon's tiny body rising and falling gently with each breath.

I needed some alone time. I looked outside at the sky: dawn was still far away. I got dressed silently and transferred my Pokeballs from my bag to my cargo pants, taking Trapinch's newly occupied Pokeball. I had a Gym Battle coming up, and it was time for some training.

* * *

><p>"Superpower!" I called.<p>

Trapinch struck the wild Gible with its savage attack, knocking it out in one blow.

"I had a dream tonight," I told Charizard as we both watched Trapinch train and grow stronger, "I used to have them all the time, but they stopped after I began traveling around. I don't know why, but it's always the same dream."

Charizard made an appreciative noise, grooming her claws thoughtfully. She cocked her head at me, wanting me to continue.

"It's always the same one," I continued, "Crunch, Trapinch!"

Trapinch opened its jaws impossibly wide, perhaps unhinging its mandible, and bit down on Graveler.

"I'm standing in front of a house and it's on fire. Sometimes a man runs to a window or a door and begs me for help, and I always want to run away. But I can't ever do anything because a girl is always and holding me and crying. Only last night, the girl was gone and Celosia was there. Rock Slide!"

The wild Graveler fainted, howling indignantly.

Charizard bent her head quizzically, not knowing who Celosia was.

"She's the woman with the Froslass you battled yesterday," I explained, and saw the glint of recognition in Charizard's eyes. It made sense that she would find Pokemon more memorable than their trainers.

"Madam Amedee used to tell me when I was little that the dreams were just my grief over what happened. You've never met Madam Amedee, have you?" I realized. I briefly described the woman who had basically been both of my parents for as long as I could remember.

"I used to have a house in Vaniville Town," I explained, "But that burned down when I was just a toddler. My parents and my sister died in the fire. At least, that's what they tell me. After that, I was sent to a Wards of State home in Cyllage City. Madam Amedee used to tell me that the dreams were my mind getting over that. I stopped telling her about them when I got older."

"I just don't understand. Why was Celosia there?"

Charizard looked at me sadly. Neither of us knew the answer. I decided just to push the questions to the back of my mind and focus on my goals: Mega Evolution, the Pokemon League, and getting enough prize money from my journey that I could give some back to the Wards' Home. I hoped that I would never see anyone from Flare again, but that feeling was now tempered with my desire to know exactly what had happened and why I knew Celosia.

"Great job, Trapinch," I said to my new Pokemon, whose head was raised in pride. A second later, Trapinch started to glow and was wrapped by rings of force. I knew the drill by now.

My evolved Pokemon hovered in front of me, the moonlight reflecting off its clear wings.

"Welcome to the team, Vibrava," I said.

I returned Vibrava and put the Pokeball in my pocket. It was still a long time until dawn, but I figured that the hospital would at least be open.

"Come on," I said to Charizard, "I need to go get my stitches removed." I hoped they would remove them at least. I hadn't exactly been gentle on my side.

* * *

><p>"You can do it!" I cheered from the stands in the Lumiose City Gym, raising my arm and feeling my now stitch-free side move in sequence with it. Liz sat beside me, watching the battle between Dominic and Clemont. We had both fought similar ones this morning, and held the yellow, spiky badges to prove it.<p>

"Alright," began Evelyn, who had refereed my fight and then decided to just do the same for Liz's and Dominic's battles, "The battle will be three on three with no substitutions. Begin!"

"Emolga, Activate!" called Clemont, challenging Dominic in his shaky voice, "I hope you're ready for this!"

"Go Big Brother!" cheered Bonnie, rocking the Pokemon she was holding in her satchel to sleep. I wasn't really sure why the Gym's Leader's sister was present for all his battles. Also, she had undercut his authority, leading us through a quiz show for her own amusement instead of the electric maze that Clemont had prepared for his challengers. She was probably always causing trouble.

Emolga appeared and flew around cutely over the battlefield that pulsed with green light. It seemed to have something clutched in its right paw.

"Lapras!" called Dominic, "Let's win this thing!"

"Lapras versus Emolga! Begin!" called Evelyn, slashing her arm down.

"Lapras? A Water Pokemon against an Electric Pokemon?" asked Liz, "What's he thinking?"

"Well, two out of his four Pokemon are Water type, so he had to use one of them," I said, though I was pretty sure she already knew that. Dominic wasn't stupid. I was sure he had a plan.

"Quick Attack!" called Clemont, and Emolga blurred into action, smacking Lapras at lighting speeds.

Dominic smiled, "Ice Beam!"

"Oh, that's why," said Liz. I knew she was about to run through the typing system pointlessly. "He used an Ice move, which was super effective against a Flying Pokemon like Emolga." Yeah, Liz, I got that already.

Emolga went down, shivering miserably.

"Lapras is the victor!" called Evelyn.

"Not so fast, Evelyn," corrected Clemont, "Use the item, Emolga!"

Emolga uncurled its right paw, revealing that the item it was holding was a berry.

"That's a Sitrus Berry," said Liz, "It restores a Pokemon's health, giving it back around a fourth of its strength."

Now that was an interesting fact, and that's what made listening to Liz worth it.

"Acrobatics!" called Clemont.

Emolga took advantage of its now unencumbered state to deliver a complex flying attack to Lapras, doing serious damage against the defensive Pokemon. This was a new strategy; Clemont hadn't used it against either Liz or me. Gym Leaders truly did have a lot of flexibility.

"Don't give up!" Dominic called, and Lapras looked up again, anger and determination now in her eyes.

"Confide!" called Clemont.

Emolga's eyes started to glow with malice, but I never got to see what the move did because Dominic countered it.

"Mist!" he called.

Lapras summoned a bank of fog, managing to hide herself from Emolga.

"What does Confide do?" I asked Liz.

"It weakens the power of the enemy's long-range moves," answered Liz.

"We've got this!" declared Dominic, "Brine!"

Lapras moved forward, out of the fog, and blasted Emolga with a torrent of water so salty I could smell it from the stands. Weakened from the Ice Beam earlier, Emolga wasn't able to evade the attack, allowing Lapras to double the force of its move and knock out Emolga.

"I knew you could do it!" cheered Dominic, and we added our voiced from the stands. Lapras basked in out praise.

"Lapras is the victor!" called Evelyn, "The first round goes to challenger Dominic!"

"Hmmm," said Clemont, "Magneton, activate!"

I recognized Magneton from my battle with Clemont. It had used Electric Terrain to bathe the floor in lighting. Thankfully, Clemont had installed insulated places for Trainers to stand and had coated the stands in rubber.

"Magneton, Thunderbolt!" called Clemont, but he was distracted by little sister's squeal.

Something small and pink ran onto the battlefield and began chasing its tail in the middle of the field, right in the path of the Thunderbolt. Bonnie was chasing after it but wouldn't make it in time.

Suddenly, Lapras fired a jet of water backwards, giving itself a boost and getting in between the little Pokemon that had just run onto the field, which I realized was a Skitty, and the Thunderbolt, taking the full force of the move.

Skitty stopped running and looked up at Lapras gratefully. Lapras stared down at it tenderly, and then fainted.

"Interference!" called Evelyn.

"Skitty!" yelled Bonnie, catching up with her Pokemon and giving it a Pokepuff.

"Again, Bonnie?" asked Clemont.

Skitty looked at Lapras sadly and used a move that made the sound of a bell ring out. Lapras's eyes opened. Skitty then gave Lapras the Pokepuff.

Lapras chewed it happily, her energy seemingly restored.

"That was Heal Bell," said Liz.

Cool. Lapras had changed a lot from the angry Pokemon who had attacked us on Fourage Road, probably because of Dominic's influence. Dominic was obviously an amazingly caring trainer who could connect with his Pokemon quickly. I got a little jealous.

"Illegal combatant on the field," called Evelyn. She then dropped the official tone in her voice and asked, "Is Skitty okay?"

"Yeah," said Bonnie, picking up Skitty who had just started chasing its tail and purring happily, "Skitty, you need to stop running away!"

Skitty yawned and fell asleep in Bonnie's arms, not seeming to listen. Bonnie tucked the sleeping Pokemon back into her satchel.

"I don't know how to call this one, guys," admitted Evelyn.

"It's fine," decided Dominic, "Lapras has had enough."

He returned the Water Pokemon, who was smiling happily. Must have been a good Pokepuff.

"Challenger, your Pokemon's noble and self-sacrificing spirit has impressed me," said Clemont, "Honestly, I just want to give you the badge now, but rules are rules."

"Let's go Scraggy!" called Dominic.

Was it just the light in here, or was Scraggy glowing?

"Dominic's been saving this strategy," said Liz, "He told me about it. This is going to be fun to watch. He said that the battle you and Evelyn told us about that you fought in Coumarine Gym inspired it."

I looked forward with interest. What was his strategy? What had Evelyn and I done that he wanted to imitate? It was nice to have easy questions, a great change of pace from my worries about Celosia and my nightmares.

"Electric Terrain, activate!" called Clemont.

Magneton directionally discharged into the floor, four beam of crackling force pouring from its metallic body to the ground below.

"Scrags, use Swagger!" said Dominic.

Scraggy taunted the Magneton, its metallic eyes contorting in rage.

"I see what he's doing," said Liz, "Swagger raises the foe's power and makes it harder for them to land a hit."

"Thunderbolt!" called Clemont.

Magneton started drawing power from the energy on the ground, preparing for a massive attack. I checked Skitty again, making sure that it was still in Bonnie's satchel.

"Stand there and take it, Scraggy!" called Dominic, "I believe in you!"

"What?" I asked, "What was the point in using Swagger?"

Scraggy seemed to know what was going on, and he looked back and nodded carefully, his "pants" falling down again.

Scraggy was baked in a beam of blinding lighting. He was still glowing after the attack had ceased, though, surprisingly, he was still standing.

"Now!" called Dominic.

The leftover electricity started to do weird things, arcing around Scraggy and forming rings of energy. Scraggy's body began to grow taller and more powerful. Oh. Now I saw what Liz meant.

The energy cleared, and the evolved form of Scrafty growled menacingly, the crest on his head standing on end because of the charged floor.

"Scrafty, Hi Jump Kick!"

The sturdy Magneton managed to endure the attack and fire off Flash Cannon, but Scrafty avoided it effortlessly with its enhanced speed. A second Hi Jump Kick finished it.

"The victor is Scrafty!" ruled Evelyn, "The second round goes to Dominic. Clemont only has one Pokemon remaining."

"Well done, Magneton," decided Clemont, "Helioptile, activate!"

"Hi Jump Kick!" called Dominic.

"Block with Dark Pulse!" countered Clemont.

As Scrafty leapt through the air, Helioptile raised the frills on its neck and sent out a wave of darkness that slammed into Scrafty, causing him to miss his target, keep going and crash, and hit the wall. He clutched his knee tenderly. I think he took more damage from crashing than the actual Dark Pulse.

"Parabolic Charge, activate!" yelled Clemont.

Helioptile sent out an arc of energy that snaked through Scrafty and returned to its own body, taking energy from the Electric Terrain as it went.

Scrafty crumped, kneeling in defeat.

"You did great, dude," said Dominic to Scrafty, "Take a break. This battle's yours, Zangoose!"

"Final round!" called Evelyn, "Helioptile versus Zangoose. Begin!"

"Quick Attack, activate!"

"Detect."

Zangoose blocked Helioptile's attack with a simple twist of his arm, diverting all of the force away from his body.

"Crush Claw!" called Dominic.

Zangoose ended the battle.

"The winner is the challenger, Dominic!" ruled Evelyn.

"Amazing!" said Clemont, returning Helioptile with the robotic arm on his backpack, "Your passion for battle inspires me!"

"No!" said Bonnie, who was petting Skitty's head, "My Big Brother lost again?"

"Oh, Bonnie… When will you learn there's no shame in losing?" asked Clemont while his robotic arm threw the prize money to Dominic, "I'm glad whenever I get to learn new things thanks to strong challengers like this boy here. Now, to the victor go the spoils! The Voltage Badge belongs to you!"

Bonnie raced over and handed Dominic the badge and a TM, which she explained was Thunderbolt. Hmm… I had gotten Volt Switch and Liz had received Wild Charge. I wonder how he decided which TM to give away, although I wouldn't put it past Bonnie to randomly switch Clemont's TMs each time.

"Look, I'm not… I'm not just trying to make myself stronger or…" Clemont began, struggling for words like he had after his previous defeats. "All I'm trying to do is enjoy every day to the fullest, while doing the science I love with my inventing.

Now we all had at least four badges.

"Hey Liz, do you still have the TM for Fly that Diantha gave you?" I asked.

Liz poked around in her bag for a second and then answered that she did, but it was actU ally an HM.

I smiled. It was time to forget about the unanswerable questions and focus on my Pokemon. Mega Evolution awaited.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Wow, Fanof-Skitty, thanks. I'm honestly blown away by that review, especially for my first draft of my first ever fanfiction…. I'm definitely putting another scene with a Skitty in. I used a Skitty in my first run of my first game, Emerald, and also in my first mystery dungeon I was one, so I've grown attatched to the Kitten Pokemon too… I've used the word "first" way too much for one Author's Note.<strong>

**Side Note: I have also drawn some more scenes, to show a general idea of what the characters look like and just practice my art skills, but since my stupid computer won't upload I'll just write them out.**

**Wes is blond, has fair skin, an athletic build from playing basketball, and likes wearing a Pyroar shirt and cargo pants. He later gets a black and cyan jacket for the colder routes. The scene I had for him was him and his Charizard in a clearing with three waterfalls, facing a Celebi, but Celosia is blocking his path.**

**Liz has pale brown hair that she normally wears in ponytails, and she's always wearing something on her head- a visor when it's warm, and a fuzzy hood when it's cold. She normally just wears athletic clothes. The scene I had for her was her standing in the falling snow in front of the eighth Gym, her Glaceon nuzzling her leg.**

**Dominic has dark hair and tan skin. He normally wears solid colored t-shirt with jeans. The scene I had for him was him and his blastoise sitting with their backs on either side of a gravestone in a damp cave, tears on his cheeks as he looks up and out of the mouth of the cave, staring at the sky.**

**Evelyn has jet-black hair and dark, almost ebony skin. She normally wears that wannabe grass-type Gym Leader outfit that I described in Chapter 10, I won't do it again since this author's note is already illegally long. The scene for her was a battle between her and Ramos at Coumarine City, Sceptile against Gogoat.**


	16. Chapter 16: Blood

**Chapter 16**

* * *

><p>I clutched at Charizard's neck as she plunged down without warning, forcing my stomach into my throat. The white remnants of a cloud hit me in the face.<p>

Behind me, Liz screamed in a combination of terror and elation, holding on for dear life, the wind snatching at the visor on her head.

"Let's go!" I called, but the wind filled my mouth and muted my words.

Beside me, Tropius dropped from the clouds, wings blurring at high speed, Evelyn and Dominic clutching to his back. Tropius was Evelyn's fifth Pokemon, the one she hadn't used in our battle. He could learn Fly as well, which was nice since Charizard couldn't carry four people at once. Even two was a strain.

I felt Charizard's wing tremble and patted her back reassuringly.

Charizard and Tropius pushed their speed faster, blowing by a flock of peacefully gliding Swanna.

"There!" I called, pointing since Charizard couldn't hear me. Charizard's eyes followed my hand and locked on to the Tower of Mastery. The tower's dually designed crown broke through a cloud below us.

Charizard flipped her wings perpendicular to the wind and began to slow down as the ground raced furiously at us.

We hit the beach at a surprisingly gentle speed. Charizard looked proud of herself. Liz looked relieved to be stepping on solid ground again.

Tropius touched down next to us, hitting the ground much harder than Charizard had. Dominic slid off the Grass Pokemon's back, looking nauseated.

"Hey? Are you guys ready?" asked Liz excitedly.

I nodded, Dominic doing the same when his nausea had passed.

"I'll be training with Korrina," said Evelyn, "Come find me when you're finished. I really want to see the true potential of a Pokemon."

Dominic, Liz, and I crossed the stretch of sand that lead to the Tower of Mastery. The Tower's spikes cast long shadows on us, fueled by the brilliant morning sun.

"Ah," said the elderly woman, "So you have returned. Are you qualified now to enter the Tower?"

We showed her our badges and she let us in. She didn't seem to mind that Liz was now with us.

Inside, the tower was a hollow chamber that led upward, reaching for the sky. A spiral walkway climbed its curves, branching off into rooms along the way. In the center, a monolith of a Pokemon domination the space, glaring furiously at an arbitrary point.

"Is that Lucario?" asked Dominic.

"Something's different," I said. The sculpture did look like Lucario, but there were a few things that looked off, like the head tails and the excess fur.

"Welcome to the Tower of Mastery," began an old man with the strangest hair I had ever seen, "I'm the one they call the Guru of Mega Evolution. If you wish to learn the techniques we practice here, you must first prove yourselves worthy."

We stood respectfully while he paused and waited for him to continue.

"You see, not everyone has the patience or the relationships with their Pokemon necessary to use Mega Evolution. I could ask you about your journeys, your motives, your ideals, and your goals for your Pokemon, but I believe that is pointless. Undoubtedly, if you have come to this Tower, you are Trainers on a journey seeking true power."

"Those who are unworthy to use the power of Mega Evolution will simply be unable to perform it. So, to prove yourself worthy, you must simply pass our test," he paused to open the door to a room beneath the statue of Lucario, "Deep below, a mighty warrior awaits, said to be the Mega Evolution Successor. Overcome this formidable obstacle and you and your Pokemon shall earn the power that you deserve and have worked so hard to obtain."

He gestured into the chamber, which had a staircase leading downward in a recess in the back.

"Enter," he told us, "And reflect on the bonds between you and your Pokemon. For these bonds are truly the most important aspect of real power."

We were told to go in one at a time, and I ended up going first. In the chamber, there were some books on shelves, but all of them looked dusty, like no one had read them in ages. I went to the back of the room and began to descend on the staircase.

The walls of the staircase soon became a dark grey stone, punctuated every so often with brilliant blue gemstones. Finally, the staircase spilled into a breathtakingly beautiful cavern. The cave was framed in the same beautiful, dark grey stone, with polished gems everywhere that reflected light like a thousand mirrors. Above me, thin slabs of gemstone ran from one wall to the other like beams of blue light. Strange spires of clear crystal split the ground.

The cave felt cold and hostile, like I was being watched from every mirror, crushed by every beam, stabbed by every spire. I shivered.

Ahead, the cave darkened, and I sent out Ampharos, whose brilliant glow lit the cave. In a narrow passage, I heard the sound of dripping water, and found its source in a niche in the wall. There, water trickled down from above and condensed, forming something beautiful.

"Is this a Thunderstone?" I asked.

Ampharos didn't seem to know, but he did pick up the green and yellow rock and run a current through it. It could have been a Thunderstone, so I decided to put it in my bag and see what I could do with it later.

A Thunderstone was an evolution item, and would evolve certain Pokemon by coming into contact with their body. I could give it to Liz so her Eevee would become a Jolteon. However, from the way people talked about it, I was pretty sure that Mega Evolution was something completely different from normal evolution, and an item like the Thunderstone wasn't needed. I wondered why it was here. Maybe in a place where Mega Evolution could take place, the energy was right for other kinds of evolution.

Ampharos and I continued, seeing ourselves reflected in places on the mirrored walls and noticing that as we went deeper, the crystal spires started to glow with different colors of light. I picked up a Fire Stone along the way.

Finally, when the air was so cold that my breath made steam clouds that reflected in all of the mirrors, I found another person in the caves, who I recognized from the last time I had been in Shalour City.

"Hey, Korrina," I said, "Do you know where I'm supposed to go to battle the Mega Evolution Successor?"

She turned toward me, her reflection moving in all of the mirrors, "Wes. You challenged my Gym a few days ago." She then became serious, staring at me intensely. "I am the Mega Evolution Successor. I am your test."

She gestured for me to stand at one end of the chamber we were currently in. Four spires of glowing rock that occasionally changed colors lined the battlefield on my side.

"Prove that you can handle the power!" called Korrina, "Let's give it all we've got!"

She sent out a Lucario, a Pokemon who I hadn't battled in my Gym battle against her earlier.

"Ampharos," I said, gesturing for the Pokemon who was lighting my way to step forward. He had been the first of my Pokemon to evolve to his final stage, and I thought that it made sense to choose him for this battle concerning a new type of evolution.

"Lucario!" called Korrina.

Her Pokemon turned its head and caught something that Korrina threw. I got a better look at it a second later when Lucario pressed its palms together around the item and closed its eyes, focusing. The item was a small, brilliantly colored gemstone.

Korrina closed her eyes and pressed the stone set on the back of her glove, which was a mix of blue and green that reminded me of a map of land and water with a black double helix pattern embedded within. Bands of energy crackled and writhed through the air, originating from the two stones, eventually touching each other and connecting. The network of energy enveloped both trainer and Pokemon, hissing and sparking. The energy seemed to be drawn into Lucario, sucked brutally out of Korrina and the mystical stones.

Lucario roared, now taller, with red colorings on its arms, legs, and longer head tails. Spikes protruded from its wrists and feet, and its tail was now thick and bushy with hair.

"Ampharos," I called to my now clearly intimidated Pokemon, "I believe in you. We are worthy. We'll pass this test."

Ampharos didn't look convinced, but I knew he would give the battle his best.

"Aura Sphere!" called Korrina.

Lucario growled, charging the move faster than I thought possible and releasing it. The Aura Sphere slammed into my Ampharos with an impact that echoed throughout the cave.

Ampharos was on the ground, severely damaged by just one attack. He winced and gritted his teeth, struggling to get up. I wasn't sure exactly how I was being tested, and I was starting to wonder if I was missing something.

"Discharge!" I called, "Then Confuse Ray!"

Lucario stood firm, taking the Discharge and shaking the move off like it was nothing. Lucario evaded the Confuse Ray with no trouble.

"Close Combat!" yelled Korrina.

Lucario raced over. It roughly grabbed Ampharos with one hand, picking him up off the ground and then throwing him into a wall. Before Ampharos could even slump to the ground Lucario had blurred by him, filling his body with punches, kicks, and chops.

"No!" I called, raising Ampharos's Pokeball as he fought for breath. Ampharos would always take a lot of punishment for the sake of a battle, but this was sickening to watch.

"Think about what matters!" urged Korrina, "Why does Ampharos fight so hard for you?"

Why did Ampharos try so hard? Because he was my Pokemon, but there was more to it than that.

"Brick Break!" commanded Korrina.

"Thunder Wave!" I called.

Ampharos spread the Thunder Wave to Lucario when the opponent's Brick Break connected, but still took another powerful move.

"It's supposed to be this hard," said Korrina sadly. She had noticed the horror on my face as I watched Ampharos cough up blood. Pokemon should not have to go through this.

"Shake it off, Lucario!" she called.

Lucario roared and broke free of the paralysis, eyeing Ampharos warily.

Why was Ampharos still battling? What made him loyal enough to me to take this kind of punishment? What had I done for him? I had caught him in a horde of other Mareep, freeing him from a life of anonymity and giving him a chance to shine in fierce battles, right?

That wasn't it either. Honestly, though I tried to raise all of my Pokemon equally, I ended up paying far too much attention to Charizard, my stubborn Pokemon who hated her Pokeball, and Shelgon, my scarred first Pokemon. Fraxure and I had a relationship like that of an athlete and a coach, me respecting her power and her respecting my strength. I was still getting to know my new Vibrava, but, when it came down it, I didn't treat them equally at all.

"Why are you fighting?" I asked out loud.

Ampharos deserved a far better trainer than me. I didn't give him the attention that he should have.

In front of me, a spire of crystal began to glow.

Ampharos looked me right in the eyes, blood on his lips. He still respected and trusted me, even though I wasn't as good as he deserved me to be. I could see his desire to become strong, to become the best he could be, his real motivation for battling.

The teal light in the spire began to cool and condense into the shape of an orb.

Korrina smiled and pointed me to the spire.

"You've earned it," she said, "take it."

Ampharos looked on as I touched the sphere that had been formed, thoughts of aiming for the top with my Pokemon dominating my mind. I picked up the blue and green stone, marveling at the intricate black pattern in its center.

The air swirled and condensed in front of me, forming a large stone with a yellow, red, and white design.

Ampharos held his hand out expectantly and I threw it to him. We both closed our eyes and concentrated on what we knew about each other, on what we'd been through, on what it meant for us to be trainer and Pokemon traveling together.

I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, surprised to see a storm of energy surrounding me.

_Ampharos, you are impressive beyond anything I've ever seen._

_Wes, I am truly honored to have you as my trainer._

A blinding storm of beauty and infinite possibilities had enveloped me, and I felt like a part of myself entered into it. Suddenly, the power drained away into Ampharos, but I didn't feel empty. In fact, I felt truly complete and at peace.

Ampharos opened his eyes and looked at me. His Mega Evolution was as amazing as I had expected. He now had a mane and tail that flowed behind him. His ears had changed shape as well, and he had new claws on his hands and feet. Most impressively, his tail was now covered in glowing crystals that shone brilliantly.

I nodded at him, and he nodded back.

Lucario growled and pawed the ground impatiently, wanting to resume the battle with its equal.

I called a move and Ampharos understood perfectly, perhaps acting before I even made the call.

He used Discharge. The gems on his tail burned blue, a constellation of power. Lighting arced into him, seeming to come from four directions on the floor and four on the ceiling, and a sphere of dangerously hot electricity, bright blue, poured out of him. I had never witnessed a move like it before.

So this was a Pokemon at its full potential. No, that wasn't it.

This was a Pokemon and a trainer, a team, at their full potential, and it was every bit as awe-inspiring as it sounded.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: So, what did you think of my version of Mega Evolution? I loved the idea of it in the games, and I hope I did it justice.<strong>

**Side Note: Haha, sorry MankeyMan. I'm flying solo (basically nobody wants to beta for me). I'll go back over and edit when I'm not furiously writing because I've been inspired. Feel free to list the particulary egregious grammar errors, and I'll fix 'em. The missing conjunctions are intentional because I think ascendyton makes imagery stronger, but everything else is totally my fault. Also, point out any dialogue errors you see, because erroneous dialogue can wreck a story.**


	17. Chapter 17: Friendship

Chapter 17

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><p>"You ready?" I asked, looking at Evelyn.<p>

"Yes," she said, "I can't wait! I'd like to know what the potential of a Pokemon really is! So all three of you need to use Mega Evolution!"

Dominic, Liz, and I shared a look. We all knew what it had taken to master Mega Evolution, and the three of us would always remember our test in the caves.

Evelyn had been waiting patiently for us to finish, unable to train with Korrina because of the Gym Leader's absence from her Gym. When I had finished my trial and found her, she demanded I tell her all about it, and then came up with the idea for this tag battle. We had killed time until Liz and eventually Dominic joined us. After everyone had healed their Pokemon, we walked down to the beach and readied for battle.

Liz stood beside Dominic. I wonder if they knew how much more confident and relaxed their postures were now.

"We'll use two Pokemon, each, okay?" asked Evelyn. We all agreed. I readied Vibrava's Pokeball. Ampharos's Pokeball was tucked away along with my Keystone and his Ampharosite (Korrina's names for the stones that had appeared) in one of the pockets on my cargo pants, where I could feel them press against my leg comfortingly.

"Go, Delphox!"

"Lapras, let's win this thing!"

Liz's Pokemon appeared, Dominic's following soon after. Delphox barked at us, while Lapras slipped into the tide, enjoying a chance to battle in her natural element.

"Alright, go, Grovyle!" called my teammate, throwing her Pokeball. The Grass Pokemon appeared and sharpened the blades on his arm while staring at Lapras hungrily, receiving a contemptuous look from Delphox at the same time. It was time to break up the elemental rock-paper-scissors with Dragon.

"Vibrava!" This would be only the second battle my Vibrava had fought, the first one being the Gym battle against Clemont. She hovered in the air, looking back at me with her wide green eyes. Her four wings, the same clear green color, beat quickly, churning the air with fury.

"Let's go!" said Evelyn, "Rock Slide!"

Grovyle growled at Delphox and Lapras and rocks began to fall on our opponents from above.

"Mystical Fire! Block it!" called Liz.

Delphox picked up a piece of driftwood from the beach and lit the tip on fire. The Fire Pokemon than swept the makeshift wand in a circle, releasing a protective barrier of glimmering flame as it did so. The Mystical Fire created an overhead shield that held back the rocks, suspending them in the air.

"I didn't know that was possible," said Evelyn.

"Crunch!" I called, pointing at Delphox and wanting to take advantage of its weakness.

"Ice Beam! Get Vibrava!" yelled Dominic.

Lapras intercepted Vibrava with an Ice Beam as she swooped over to attack Delphox. Then we all began calling moves, and the battle dissolved into chaos.

Grovyle raced over to use Leaf Blade on Lapras, Delphox firing a move at the Grass Pokemon that I had Vibrava block. Delphox and Lapras used Flamethrower and Ice Beam, ganging up on Grovyle. Vibrava and I used that moment to attack both Liz and Dominic's Pokemon, hitting them with Crunch and Superpower.

Grovyle took both of the moves and began to shine with energy, its body glowing. Lapras knocked out Vibrava, but Grovyle, still evolving, used the chance to defeat both of the opponent's Pokemon.

Grovyle roared as it finished its evolution into Sceptile. Meanwhile, Dominic, Liz, and I threw our second Pokeballs.

Ampharos glowed in the evening light. Mawile spun, snapping her jaw. Blastoise bellowed, priming his cannons. Evelyn looked on in anticipation.

I threw Ampharos his Mega Stone and clasped my keystone in my fist, covering it with my other hand and holding it in front on my chest. Mawile caught her Mega Stone with the jaw behind its head, while Liz pressed her keystone against her heart with an open palm. Blastoise took the Mega Stone from Dominic. Dominic closed the keystone in his right fist and raised his arm to the sky.

Ampharos and I closed our eyes, our thoughts unifying.

_Are you ready, Ampharos?_

_Let's do this, Wes._

The storm of beauty was wrapped around me again, and through it I could see Dominic, Liz, and their Pokemon in similar shrouds of power.

The energy drained from me, unlocking Ampharos's power. The many gems on his tail brought forth a brilliant light in the growing dusk.

Blastoise stepped forward, his form changed as well. The two cannons that had protruded from above his shoulders were gone, replaced by a single, larger one above his head that he had to hunch over to aim at my team's Pokemon. Cannons now took shape on his arms as well, and he pointed his terrifying artillery forward.

Mawile pirouetted, the sun reflecting off the teeth in her two mouths, a multiplication of the danger that she already posed with one jaw. The wind played with her ears, which looked to me like the two ends of a headband worn by a karate champion.

Evelyn breathed in a gasp of awe, seeing the true power of three Pokemon. Their Mega Stones had dissolved during the transformation, but they would coalesce again after the battle. Liz, Dominic, and I kept holding the teal keystones, appreciating the feeling of unity they brought.

Blastoise used Skull Bash on Sceptile, tucking his head into his shell and then exploding and charging like a rocket. The Grass Pokemon was defeated in the span of a second. I'm not sure if Dominic called a move, but he seemed to know it was coming and punched the air in unison with his Pokemon's strike.

"Discharge!" Ampharos soaked the opposing Pokemon in his Discharge at exactly the time I would have called the move. I think I did call the move. Blastoise seemed to take major damage, but Mawile was clearly fine, and Liz was staring at my Ampharos intently, clearly about to call a move.

Evelyn sent out her Serperior next.

"Use Hyper Beam!" she called, pointing at Mawile.

Serperior fired its beam of pure darkness into Mawile, creating a shockwave that blew sand everywhere. The Steel and Fairy type seemed fine after the move finished, and spun, leaping over to beside Ampharos.

Mawile used Iron Head on Ampharos with Liz's timing, knocking my Electric type back into the Surf.

Suddenly I got an idea for a new move, which may have come from Ampharos, but it was hard to tell. Ampharos drew energy into a tight space right in front of him and released it at Blastoise. I saw the move take shape both from my place and from his. It was a bright blue beam of energy that crackled, parts of it tearing off and evaporating as it traveled across the beach surrounded in a crackling cage of forked red light. It was Dragon Pulse.

Sometime during our battles, perhaps before the first one, perhaps just now, I had realized that Ampharos gained the Dragon type when we Mega Evolved, but I hadn't realized that we would be able to use it when we fought.

Blastoise roared as he took the move, and counterattacked with Hydro Pump as he fainted, the move blasting from all of his cannons at once.

Ampharos barely managed to take the move, stumbling around in the waves. The scar on my side began to throb with pain.

Ampharos and I looked up as it suddenly grew dark. Mawile was there in the air above Ampharos, blocking the sun, spinning and about to slam him with one of the jaws behind her head that flowed gracefully when she jumped. "Iron Head." Then Ampharos fainted, my vision blurring as well.

"Well fought, Ampharos!" I said. He made a noise of agreement while I returned him to his Pokeball and pocketed the keystone. I ran out into the shallow water and retrieved his Ampharosite.

I then noticed somebody standing nearby, watching our battle. It was Korrina. She may have been standing there for a while. I wasn't sure. I had been focusing on Ampharos.

Liz opened her eyes and removed her hand from the place on her chest right above her heart. Mawile jumped over to in front of her and crackled with energy, returning to normal. Liz took the Mega Stone from the victorious Pokemon and put it back into her bag.

"That was different," said Evelyn, looking at us with a mix of admiration and fear.

"Nice win," I said to Liz, who nodded. She and Dominic high fived while Eevee barked in triumph, basking in Mawile's glory.

Evelyn, clearly confused about something, asked us, "You guys do realize that you only called about half the moves your Pokemon used."

I smiled. I had been communicating with my Pokemon the whole time. Maybe Mega Evolution involved us knowing each other so well that we could easily predict each other's actions.

Dominic and Liz offered only a grin and a shrug, neither having an answer.

Korrina applauded and stepped forward, startling both Dominic and Liz, who had not noticed her either.

"That was intense," said the Gym Leader, "I hope you three continue to use and learn more about Mega Evolution." She then turned to Evelyn and continued, "What are you doing battling with these guys? You're a lightweight compared to them now that they have Mega Evolution."

"You weren't at your Gym," responded Evelyn with annoyance, "I wanted for us to train again."

"Sorry, girl, I had something to do," Korrina answered, "But hey, you found Wes."

"What?" I said, wanting some clarification.

"Yeah, she was stalking you," said Korrina. Evelyn grew horrified as the Gym Leader kept talking, "During our last training session, she was asking about you: If I'd battled you yet. She was talking about how cool you were in that battle with Viola and how cu-"

"No, stop!" yelled Evelyn.

"Aww," teased Korrina, "Just when it was getting good."

"Stalker," joked Dominic, pointing at Evelyn. Liz joined in too. Evelyn just looked mortified, and I burst out laughing.

"Just teasing, Ev," said Korrina, "But to you guys who just earned the power of Mega Evolution, think about this. Wild Pokemon can train and evolve on their own, but only a Pokemon and a trainer together can use Mega Evolution. Why is that, and what does it say about the relationship between people and Pokemon? Anyway, serious time is over. Bye, you guys! Bye, Ev!"

Korrina skated away, and Evelyn waved to her as she grew smaller in the distance.

"Where to next?" I asked. I was personally empty of ideas.

"We need to go back to Lumiose to show our Pokemon to Professor Sycamore," said Liz, enjoying planning, "And from there we can go to Laverre. There's a Gym there that we can challenge."

"That's a good idea," agreed Evelyn, "I know the Leader there, Valerie. She specializes in Fairy type Pokemon."

"This Gym sounds like it'll suck for you, Dragon Tamer," said Dominic, addressing me.

Everyone looked at him weirdly.

"Oh, come on," he explained, "You guys know what I mean. Fairy types are Dragons' weakness; Fairy types are immune to Dragon moves. Anybody with a Fairy Type just won't shut up about that." True enough, I had heard a lot of people brag like that.

"Hey!" said Liz, touching Mawile's Pokeball.

Dragon Tamer? Shelgon, Fraxure, Charizard who looked like a dragon, Ampharos who became Dragon type when he Mega Evolved, and Vibrava. I guess I had ended up specializing in Dragon Pokemon without realizing it.

"All right," I said, "We should probably get going now so that it's still day when we arrive."

I released Charizard, who looked at me angrily for keeping her in her Pokeball for so long. I just shrugged.

Evelyn summoned Tropius. We divided up again, the larger Tropius taking Dominic while Liz came to ride on Charizard because she was lighter.

The flight back to Lumiose City was amazing, but not quite as amazing as our first flight.

Charizard touched down in front of the Sycamore Pokemon Lab, undoubtedly knowing its location because of the time she had spent with the Professor.

Liz was too excited going in, bursting at the seams with energy of a fan girl.

Sycamore greeted us happily, comparing our stories to those of other trainers who could use Mega Evolution. He demanded that we stay in Lumiose for a week so that he could study our three Pokemon, and offered to book us two rooms in a hotel for the entire time. We took his offer and enjoyed a nice break from rigorous traveling.

The week in Lumiose flew by. We quickly got into a rhythm: I would awake from a nightmare and sit in contemplation for an hour, never getting any closer to answering the questions that bothered me. Then I would wake Dominic and we would go knock on the girls' room door. We would all get breakfast, then spend the morning at Sycamore's Lab. We would leave one of the three Mega Evolving Pokemon and their Mega Stones with him and then have fun exploring the city. We would have a few battles a day, which ranged from friendly to blisteringly intense.

Evelyn's Ferroseed Evolved. Her Pokemon were becoming more impressive by the day.

One memorable time was when we all tried to convince Liz to evolve her Eevee.

"Look," said Dominic, "Here's a Water Stone. You should let Eevee choose how it wants to evolve."

He laid the water stone down beside the Fire Stone and Thunder Stone I had picked up, sliding a Leaf Stone from his pack over to join the line.

Eevee stared at the line of stones. Liz was sitting on the ground in one of the grassy areas in the middle of the street, relaxing in the shade of the well-groomed tree. I was leaning against a tree, having contributed the stones I had found, and was curious. Dominic was kneeling and pointing to the evolutionary items, trying to pressure Eevee into choosing now. Evelyn was beside me.

"No, I don't want to do this now," whined Liz, throwing her head back in protest.

"Come on," said Dominic, "Your Eevee needs it. She's starting to fall behind in battles. Just pick a stone. Jolteon, Flareon, Vaporeon," he said moving his hands over the stones, "Or Leafeon."

"No. That's… not how Eevee evolves into Leafeon," said Evelyn with sadness in her voice.

"Fine," Liz said, finally giving in, "I choose the Fire Stone."

We all watched expectantly, especially Eevee. To our surprise, Liz threw a Pokeball.

"But not on Eevee," she added, grinning smugly.

Growlithe barked as Liz touched the Fire Stone to his fur. A second later, the rings of force cleared in a whirlwind and Arcanine howled in triumph.

Just as soon as I was getting used to this relaxed routine it was time to leave. Sycamore had finished his tests and thanked us profusely, giving us the parting advice that we should try to Mega Evolve our other Pokemon as well.

We walked sadly away from Lumiose toward Laverre Trail's gate. Evelyn described the route to us as we walked. It was a long, long road covered in swamps too deep to cross on foot. However, the supply hovercraft that brought freshly made Pokeballs from Laverre to Lumiose would let trainers ride. Evelyn told us that the most amazing thing was the sheer size of the hovercraft. "Think cargo ship," she told us.

We were all preparing for an amazing ride when a voice I recognized called my name.

"Halt! Wes, let's do ba-," The speaker tripped and fell, cutting off what would have been an impressive challenge.

"Caen!" I called, remembering the guy who had thoroughly beaten me earlier. I had been wanting to battle him for a while. It was time for some Payback.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I'd like to mention the awesome orlock 22 and his team of Lucario who are also Spartan warriors. You don't get more badass than that. He's currently working on a story that shines like a diamond in the rough and I'm excited to read more of. <strong>


	18. Chapter 18: Secrets

Chapter 18

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><p>I faced Caen and prepared for a rematch with the first trainer who had ever beaten me. We had agreed on a four on four match with no other restrictions.<p>

"I summon Galvantula!" pronounced Caen. He tried to throw the Pokeball forward but accidently dropped it behind him instead, where it opened, revealing a towering spider who scurried onto the field.

"Vibrava, let's go!"

"Sticky Web!" Caen made the first move.

Galvantula began weaving small webs with both lightning speed and literal lightning, tossing them onto my side of the battlefield. I looked at the multitude of electric, gooey webs. My Pokemon had to avoid them at all costs, or we would lose our mobility.

"Rock Slide!" I called.

Vibrava's cry echoed as she tried to bury the enemy in Rocks.

"Evade it!" yelled Caen, "Use Bug Buzz! Energy Ball!"

Galvantula dodged the move. Caen's Pokemon began to vibrate its mandibles, creating a nasty shock wave that damaged Vibrava and caused her to start flying in odd jerking motions.

"Dodge the Energy Ball!" I called, "Use Dragonbreath!"

However, the Bug Buzz made it impossible for Vibrava to hear me. Galvantula pelted her with nonstop Energy Balls, keeping up the assault of sound the whole time. Vibrava fainted, making a noise of despair that was impossible to hear over the grating sound.

Galvantula cut off the bombardment on our ears. I returned Vibrava, getting frustrated. Caen had beaten me by cutting off communication between me and my Pokemon, just like he had with the rainstorm on the beach.

I touched Ampharos's Pokeball, wondering if I should send him in. Caen definitely wouldn't be able to cut off our communication if we Mega Evolved. However, I had been battling with him a lot lately, and I needed to give all of my Pokemon a chance.

"Shelgon!"

My armored Pokemon appeared, falling onto the Sticky Web nets and getting both shocked and slowed.

"Dragonbreath! Then Fire Fang!" I said, wanting to call a few moves in advance in case Caen brought his barrier of sounds back.

"Bug Buzz! Charge Beam!" called Caen.

Galvantula chittered, enjoying the battle. The Bug Buzz resumed a second later, but Shelgon's Dragon Pulse also hit.

Galvantula fired a weak jolt of electricity into Shelgon, but kept the move going. Every second, the beam of electricity grew in power. Shelgon, who was limping forward with burning fangs, trying to deliver a Fire Fang despite the speed drop.

Galvantula's Charge Beam grew harsher and more impressive. It stared at the approaching Dragon, hoping that the lightning would finish the battle before my Pokemon could use his move.

Shelgon proved to have better endurance than Galvantula expected, and the Bug Pokemon went down with the touch of Fire.

"Shiftry, I summon you!" said Caen, wasting no time in sending out a new Pokemon. He stepped forward as he threw his Pokeball and tripped on the cobblestones. The Grass and Dark Pokemon appeared and laughed at its trainer's clumsiness

I looked around, noticing that a few random people had stopped to watch the battle. Well, we were having it in the streets of Lumiose City, so I guess that was to be expected.

"Shelgon, come over here," I said to my Pokemon. I readied a Hyper Potion, knowing that he needed healing after the Charge Beam.

"Embargo!" Caen ordered the move, and Shiftry's eyes glowed black.

I raised the potions to Shelgon, but I couldn't touch him. A barrier of floating black hexagons had appeared from nowhere.

"That's what Embargo does," began Liz, who had been watching intently, "It makes it so that-"

"No!" said Caen, cutting her off, "No helping from the sidelines!" He raised a hand to point at her, somehow knocking himself off balance in the process.

Shelgon reached out to touch me, but the barrier was still between us. His eyes began to grow worried.

"Headbutt!" I called.

Shelgon Headbutted Shiftry, who made a sound that reminded me of a tree groaning in a storm.

"Extrasensory!" Caen ordered, "Destroy their timing!"

Suddenly, Shiftry's eyes were huge and I was falling into them. I clawed at the air, trying to escape, fearing what awaited me.

The darkness swallowed me, and then I was **Dominic** somehow, hearing his thoughts, looking through his eye: I looked on from the sidelines at the battle Wes was having with a random, clumsy guy. Wes seemed to already know him, probably from some adventure he'd gone on before I started tagging along with him. Wes could go on so many adventures, he was so free: I was jealous. Why did he think being an orphan sucked? I noticed him looking at the ground or off into the horizon whenever Liz, Evelyn, or I brought up our family, obviously wishing he had one. He had done so many things with no parents holding him back. I would take his place in a second. I touched the Pokeballs attatched to my bag, my Lapras, Scrafty, Blastoise. Zangoose and I had finally escaped, and we were getting as far away as we could. All thanks to Wes.

My vision blurred and I was suddenly in a different mindset altogether. I was **Liz**, reflecting on my own battle. Her thoughts started playing like a movie in my mind: A Psychic move, which hits for neutral damage on a Dragon type and receives no power boost because it wasn't used by a Dark Pokemon. The damage should still be enough to knock out Shelgon, especially since Caen has blocked Wes from using restorative items. Wes's Shelgon certainly was impressive; not as impressive as my Mawile, of course, but certainly a cut above the average Pokemon, no doubt thanks to his caring and cautious training style. Perhaps I should be more like him. I do love my Pokemon, of course, but in battle what matters most is knowledge and preparation. It was nice to travel with someone like Wes, who was very different from me; a guy who would try to talk reason into me when I am angry, hold me back from being hotheaded, bring a different view about Pokemon to the metaphorical table. I need to be more like him: I love my Pokemon, but can they tell? Do I show it? Wes shows it all the time, and his Pokemon love him for it. I am too cold to my Pokemon, and they will start hating me, if they don't already. I'm sorry Delphox, Eevee, Arcanine, Mawile. I do love you all, I promise. I just hope you still love me…

My perspective blurred again, and now I was standing on the field, my four legs planted, taking the brunt of a powerful Psychic attack. I was **Shelgon**? I began to hear my first Pokemon's thoughts: I looked back and saw that Wes was now caught up in the move too, holding his head and grimacing. No! I needed to protect him. After all, he had protected me, and taken me away from that place. No! I don't want to think about it. Needles dripping, people snarling, Pokemon bleeding out from impossibly deep gashes, the disappointment in the eyes of the person who I never drew in any bets for. No! It was different now, because I was with Wes. Wes and the other humans were looking around in pain and confusion. I knew Shiftry was behind it. Yes! Wes would want me to use Dragonbreath now. I could protect him. I used Dragonbreath, feeling my lungs fill with that heat and that sickeningly sweet taste in my mouth.

My vision blurred for a final time, and I looked at Wes with concern. I was **Evelyn** now, and her thoughts became my own: He had been so cool in that battle against Viola when I first met him. I had looked down to see him holding the edge of her treehouse with one hand and his Pokemon with another. That was how a trainer was supposed to look. I only wished that I was like that. Me, who is desperately chasing this crazy dream of becoming a Gym Leader. Like that will ever happen. Ramos knows I have no potential, he's just being kind by letting me hang around his Gym. I wonder if Wes and the others can see it, too. They think I'm pathetic too, don't they? I'm just tagging along with them on their journey for no good reason, being dead weight. Or even worse. I lead us into that battle in the Power Plant, trying to prove that I'm good enough to be a Gym Leader, and nearly got us frozen to death. And I certainly didn't help Wes. He tries to hide it, but I can clearly see how shaken that incident with that strange woman left him. It's all my fault. I would want me to leave if I was him.

My vision seemed to crumble into a thousand shards of stained glass as Shiftry staggered back, hit by some move. I was back to being me, and just me. I ran a hand through my blond hair and checked my Pokeballs just to make sure.

"Shiftry!" called Caen, "That was too much!"

I was pretty sure that Shiftry's attack had just made me experience what was happening in Dominic's, Liz's, and Shelgon's, and Evelyn's minds.

Suddenly, the smile and color faded from my face: what if they had seen my thoughts? I looked up with a horrified expression and saw them doing the same. Putain! They all had. I wondered what they had overheard. Probably just my thoughts about the battle, nothing too personal. I hoped.

Should I say something? No, I just needed to finish the battle. "Fire Fang!"

Shiftry fainted. Caen looked kind of relieved when he returned it.

"I summon Rhyperior," he said without the usual imperious tone.

The ground Pokemon appeared, standing at towering height and bellowing.

"Bulldoze!" Caen ordered.

Shelgon was knocked down. The vibrations in the ground slammed him into the electric Sticky Web, and the combination of moves defeated him.

"Return, Shelgon," I said, but hesitated and added something before I did, "You did perfect protecting me."

Merde. Now I had acknowledged the thoughts I had overheard and done something because of them. I hoped that no one else would.

"Fraxure!"

Fraxure appeared and eyed her opponent with respect. This was a battle she would enjoy fighting.

"Dragon Dance!" I called.

"Rock Blast!" ordered Caen.

"Dodge it!" I called.

Fraxure had to give up on Dragon Dance, but she managed to avoid the rocks that Rhyperior shot at her with brutal force.

"Take Down," Caen commanded.

"Jump and avoid it!" I yelled.

Fraxure leapt up and over Rhyperior's head, narrowly missing the sharpened horn that looked like a drill. Rhyperior fell forward and slammed itself into the ground, an action that reminded me of his trainer.

"Assurance!" I called.

Fraxure slammed into the back of Rhyperior's head just as it had lifted it off the ground. The dark shockwave of Fraxure's move amplified the damage, mercilessly reverberating, slamming Rhyperior's head into the ground again and again.

"Enough, Rhyperior!" said Caen, returning the now unconscious Pokemon. "I summon Clawitzer!"

"Why do you keep saying it like that?" asked Dominic.

"I just like to," admitted Caen, looking down with embarrassment.

The blue Pokemon uncurled its shell and aimed its massive pincher at Fraxure. It was the evolved form of Clauncher, the Pokemon Caen had used last time.

"Rain Dance!" called Caen, beginning with the same move he had used in our last battle.

A general clamor of groans spilled out as the random people who had stopped to watch our battle hurriedly left, looking for shelter as the rain began to pour. Liz, Dominic, and Evelyn scurried to under a tree.

"Dual Chop! Burn it!"

She lit her hands and rushed across the rain-stained cobblestones at Clawitzer. The image of a dragon, her scales wet with rivulets of water that followed the grooves of her spines, rushing forward in a beautiful city kept separate from the action by the grey veil of a downpour, with claws that flamed and sparked with a deep purple fire, was a truly beautiful sight.

"Dragon Pulse! Use your ability!" called Caen.

"Watch out! It has the ability-" Liz began, but Caen once again cut her off.

"No helping."

Clawitzer's claw began to smolder with blue energy. It then fired off a massive Dragon Pulse into Fraxure, sending her flying and releasing shreds of red energy that ripped away at trees and cobblestones.

I sighed and returned Fraxure. The rain would not be the best battlefield for my last Pokemon.

"Charizard!"

I threw her Pokeball. Her actually being in a Pokeball during our time in Lumiose was rare. I had needed to return her earlier when I had to help Dominic get out of the art museum room that an angry Furfrou groomer had locked him in. There was a very long story behind that, involving Liz's Eevee being groomed to look like Vaporeon.

Charizard roared at Clawitzer, the fire on her tail burning defiantly in the rain like a beacon.

"Fly!" I called, knowing that the Fire moves Charizard knew would be exceptionally stupid in this situation.

"Water Pulse!" ordered Caen.

Clawitzer took aim at Charizard, who was flying ever higher, and gunned her down. Charizard fell brutally to the ground, the Water Pulse having dealt major damage.

Charizard struggled to rise, and Clawitzer hit her with another Water Pulse. She spread her wings and roared, but Clawitzer didn't let us, blasting water into her open mouth. She started coughing and began to choke.

"No!" I called, running out onto the battlefield. I didn't know what I was trying to accomplish, but seeing my fire type gasp for breath made me panic. I stood in front of her and hit her chest, trying to get her to breathe again. A Water Pulse hit me in the back, shredding my shirt with its force, but I didn't move. I had to help Charizard, to save my stubborn Pokemon who hated her Pokeball, who would listen to me rant about my nightmares, who would carry me across the skies on her back.

"Wes, your pocket!" called Liz from the sideline. What? Why did that matter? I looked down, noticing a bright blue-green light emanating from the pocket that held my keystone. I reached into my pocket distractedly, too concerned with Charizard to really care. My hand brushed the stone, and immediately an orange stone started to form in the air in front of me, coalescing from gases, churning the sky into a physical shape.

I recognized it and touched it to Charizard, whose struggles were becoming weaker. I held the keystone in my fist, enclosed by my other hand, and closed my eyes.

I recognized the feeling as well.

_Charizard, I am here for you. I won't let this happen._

_I trust you, Wes._

My eyes opened. Rain was hitting the top of the cocoon of energy that surrounded me and Charizard and boiling away in the energy. The energy drained away into Charizard.

She rose to her feet, breathed deeply, and spread her now jagged and much larger orange wings. The rainclouds tore apart above her as she did so and the sun began to shine even more intensely.

I marveled at her new form. She was longer, leaner, and more streamlined. The flame on her tail had grown to the size of a bonfire. Wingfins protruded from her forearms, and her facial structure had changed. Her jaw was now shaped more fearsomely and three horns crowned her head.

"Dragon Pulse!" We focused and together used Dragon Pulse on Clawitzer, watching as our opponent hit the ground in defeat.

* * *

><p>"Wes, I'm still not sure how you did that," said Caen. "I know Professor Sycamore explained it, but still…"<p>

"Yeah," agreed Evelyn, "I didn't see it coming either."

I checked myself in the mirror. The new shirt Caen had bought me to replace the one his Clawitzer shredded looked great.

We had stopped by Professor Sycamore's laboratory again. I had hoped that he would want to study Charizard and let us stay in Lumiose for a few more days, but, sadly, his tests only took an hour. Caen had come along, curious about how exactly I had beaten him. He told us that he was going to Laverre City for his eighth Gym Badge, so I invited him to come along with us.

We stepped out through the gate that lead to Laverre Nature Trail. I stepped forward, expecting Caen to trip on the step down and catching him a second later when he did. We all walked forward, following Evelyn's directions as to where the hovercraft dock was.

One thing Evelyn hadn't told us about was how far away the hovercraft's dock was from the city. A highway ran across the swamp where trucks would take unloaded goods from the cargo transport to Lumiose. The highway took a decent amount of time for trucks, but on foot it would take about a day.

We found a reasonably dry spot when night fell and decided to make camp for the night. We sent out all of our Pokemon, thinking that they would like a change from their normal rhythms of sleeping in their Pokeballs. They made themselves comfortable in spots around our little campground, which was little more than five sleeping bags spread around a small fire that had taken Charizard three seconds to light. Some of them raced off to play in the swamp, and others, especially Caen's and my Pokemon who were exhausted from their battle earlier that day, just curled up and went to sleep.

The conversation was a little awkward at dinner as we shared the last of the food Madame Amedee had given me and Caen contributed some pastries that he had cooked himself for desert. They were delicious, but the mood was still weird. I was sure that all of us were wondering what the others knew, so the conversation inevitably turned deep.

"I'm sorry again," said Caen, gesturing with his pastry and accidently dropping it, "I didn't mean for that to happen. I recently gave Shiftry a massive boost to his special attack ability with Calcium, and I didn't know how strong he would be."

"It's okay," lied Liz.

I held out Caen's pastry to him, I had been ready to catch it, predicting that he would drop it.

He reached out to take it, but I teasingly held it back. "You're just going to drop it again." I gestured at him. "Open up." He looked a little uncomfortable, but opened his mouth anyway, and let me feed him, taking small bites of the pastry.

"Okay, fine," Liz admitted, "It's not okay and I need to get it off my mind. Well, I don't know what you all heard, or saw, or whatever that was but… I guess I just need to start somewhere. Do I ever annoy you guys with what I start listing the effects and types of moves like some kind of talking encyclopedia? I mean, I just get so excited and want to share what I'm thinking but, I know how it could get annoying, and facts are what I'm always thinking about. I think about facts, typings, and statistics during battle as well, and at times that I know the rest of you are thinking about bonds and friendship. Am I… treating my Pokemon like numbers? I need to be a better trainer like you, Dominic, or Wes, or Liz. I mean, the bond between a trainer and their Pokemon is so important: you've based your entire strategy around cutting that off, Caen. Am I missing that strength? Am I not caring enough? Do my Pokemon need more?"

Hearing someone rant like that would have been awkward at any other time, but since we had been in each other's heads earlier it was more natural.

I told her that there was no way that she was too analytical and not caring enough.

"Come on," I said, "You can use Mega Evolution. You need real bonds with your Pokemon to pull that off; there's no way you did that with just your knowledge. Your Pokemon all know you love them!"

Eevee jumped up to Liz's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek gently in agreement.

Dominic told her that he liked listening to her talk about things that interested her and that he normally ended up learning a lot from it.

She then shared a worry that she was too hotheaded at times. However, nobody disagreed with that part. All of us except Caen had seen Liz get mad at something.

Caen finished his pastry and apologized again, but the damage was done, and Liz was right. The only way to stop worrying about this was just to get it out there. He looked down in shame, but I put my hand on his shoulder and told him that it really wasn't his fault.

I decided to go next. I shared my fears about my nightmares and my connection to Flare's Celosia, as well as my growing up in the Wards' Home and the death of my parents. I had been telling Charizard about my nightmares and fears, but it felt nice to tell my companions- my friends. I felt like a huge weight was lessened, and I could see the concern on their faces.

We all speculated, tossing out wild theories for a few minutes. Everyone looked suitably unnerved, including Caen, once we brought him up to speed on what Flare was. It was nice to have other people worry about my problems with me.

Evelyn decided to talk next, sharing her fears that she wasn't ever going to be good enough to take over from Ramos and that she was wasting her time chasing this dream. She spent a little while doubting herself unreasonably, and then apologized for dragging us into the battle in the Power Plant, guilt clearly in her eyes.

"If you guys just want me to leave," she said, choked up with shame, "Tell me, and I will. I completely understand."

"Are you serious?" I demanded, very angry for some reason that she thought so poorly of herself, "We don't want you to leave! How do even think that? And of course you're a great trainer! Ramos wouldn't have challenged you to become strong if he thought you were a waste of time! My battle with you was better than the ones I've fought against full-fledged Gym Leaders. I don't know why you don't believe in yourself, but I know that I believe in you!"

She smiled at my words and brushed away a tear. I stepped over and hugged her, knowing that she needed it.

"We aren't mad at you for that adventure in the Power Plant," explained Liz, "We all made it out okay, and Wes got closer to his answers about Celosia. Besides, if you hadn't suggested it I would have. They were blocking our way and stealing Lumiose City's energy. We're basically heroes now thanks to you."

"It's not like you made us do anything," added Dominic, "We all came along because we wanted to. And, y'know, beating those Flare guys was pretty fun."

Caen, feeling closer to us, the only one who I hadn't shared thoughts with during the Extrasensory, shared things as well. He told us that his whole reason for starting his journey was to get out of his home town, Dendemille, where he had endured an extremely messy breakup. He told us that it was disrespectful to his Pokemon that he had started off just using them to get out of an awkward situation. He also said that he thought his Pokemon thought he was an idiot since he was so incredibly clumsy and said weird things.

"Um, yeah," I said, "That is kind of disrespectful. But it's obvious you care about your Pokemon and you've put a lot of effort into training them, so it doesn't really matter now, right? I mean, the only reason I won that time is because I could use Mega Evolution. You're an insanely good strategist, man. Your Pokemon love you for it, trust me."

"Breakups are the worst," agreed Evelyn, "I can totally understand why you did that." She laughed sadly and then added, "I probably would have done the same thing."

Finally, Dominic began to speak. He talked about how, growing up in a rich family, his parents had taken away everything from him. They hadn't allowed him to do anything that they considered improper or beneath the family name, things including having friends and playing with Pokemon. They gave him brutal punishments if he disobeyed them, and his only escape was the time he could find to slip away and spend time with Zangoose, who had liked him ever since he freed it from a hunter's trap.

"They've already frozen my credit cards," he continued, "They're gonna cut me out of the family as much as possible now. Honestly, I had been thinking about running away for so long, and I was so glad when Wes came along and gave me a chance to do it. Wes, sometimes I think you're lucky, man."

I knew what he meant now. I had been totally wrong about him in every way. At school I had hated him because I knew he was rich, out of jealousy and a sense of injustice, but I had been wrong. Having too much money and family could be just as bad as having too little.

We all looked around at each other, knowing so much about each other now. I didn't know what everyone else was thinking, but I definitely liked them all even more for it, and felt a lot closer to them. After a brief silence during which we were all smiling and making eye contact, we rushed off to investigate a horrible noise, which turned out to just be a practice battle between Lapras and Arcanine. After watching their battle, which was a truly impressive one despite having no trainers, we went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up early from a nightmare. I relaxed and closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of the morning sun on my skin while I waited for everyone else to wake up.

We kept going, reaching the dock in a few hours.

Evelyn hadn't been exaggerating: the hovercraft was enormous: made of many layers of sheet metal, painted grey so that the mud wouldn't stain its massive hull, and filled with cargo decks and hundreds of square meters of storage space.

After we explained our situation, the captain let us on board. He led us up a massively tall ladder and staircase that spanned from the hovercraft's black cushion to the grey metal of the decks on top. He directed us to a spare room that wasn't in use and told us that we were free to go out on deck anytime. We all left the room, walked down the hallway, somehow getting in the way of everyone in the ship's small crew, and went out on deck, which was a huge, open area behind the cockpit and in front of the massive propeller. Holding onto the waist-high metal guardrail, I watched as the ship was loaded beneath me.

Soon they were finished and the huge propeller that must have been eighty meters across started to turn behind us. The hovercraft launched at amazing speed, floating above the murky surface and rocketing back to Laverre. We enjoyed the wind whipping at our hair on the deck area and the feeling of adventure. A short way into the route, rain began to fall gently, moistening the deck and disturbing the soft swamp below.

Then the bomb detonated, the hovercraft groaned and snapped, and everything went wrong.


	19. Chapter 19: Disasters

**Author's Note: Thanks to orlock22 for reviewing and helping me with that last Chapter. You're invaluable and amazing, man. Also, thanks to Saiko. I'm glad you like my story. Haha, you thought that last cliffhanger was bad? Just wait...**

* * *

><p>Chapter 19<p>

* * *

><p>Suddenly the top of my head wasn't wrapped in water and I wrenched open my mouth with a loud gasp, begging desperately for air.<p>

A wave of murky water hit my face, filling my eyes with grime and splashing too much water into my throat. I gagged and coughed at the heat and fullness that didn't belong in my mouth, flailing my legs and kicking a bank of disgustingly soft mud where my foot stuck.

My eyes cleared even as my lungs burned and I saw the hovercraft clearly. It lay on its side, half submerged in the swamp. There was a crater in the side, with the edges the orange of burning metal, smoking deep grey trails that curled into the sky. Rain fell gently, streaking down the sides of the twisted metal and boiling away as it hit the burning area.

My ears began to ring even harder at a second explosion as my muscles burned unbearably because I needed air. A huge wave swept into me and knocked me cruelly down the river. My head was submerged and I felt like I was on fire because I needed air and I needed air and I needed air and I needed air.

* * *

><p>My eyes opened suddenly. I hadn't even noticed when I blacked out.<p>

I was laying on my side on wet, soft ground that stank. I could feel a warm pressure on my chest. I was completely soaked, and the falling rain just added to my misery

I looked around to see that I was on a patch of tan-colored, dying grass, a small island among the marsh. Surrounding me were the blue and green areas of deep water and muck, filled with falling logs that didn't move due to the lack of current. Trees and stumps protruded from the ground every so often, casting shadows on the messy patchwork of swamp water, islands of dying grass, and small vegetation, living and dead. Pale white vomit, which I assumed was mine, stained the ground right beside my head.

I looked down to see a Pokemon touching my chest. It made a squishy cry as it saw my eyes open and bounced up and down in excitement.

"Hey," I said, my voice weak from almost drowning.

The Pokemon smiled in response, its grin stretching around its face and straining its pink cheeks. The skin above its mouth was a light purple, almost lavender color, while a deeper purple colored the skin below its mouth. Round antennae that looked like party balloons were positioned on the top of its head, above its two tiny, dark eyes. It made a happy sound as I got to my knees.

"Did you save me?" I asked, guessing at the reason it was so happy to see me wake up. While it seemed unlikely that a tiny, barely 30 centimeter tall Pokemon with no visible arms had saved me, everything Pokemon did seemed unlikely.

The little Pokemon smiled and bounced around again in answer to my question, presumably agreeing with me.

"Thanks," I said, stroking the little Pokemon's head, which was surprisingly gooey.

I needed to see if the others were okay. I could Fly around on Charizard to get the aerial vantage point. I reached for Charizard's Pokeball. I took out Charizard's Pokeball, but it was empty.

"Merde!" I swore. She had been on the deck with us, and now she presumably had been thrown somewhere in this huge swamp. If hadn't been trapped underneath the hover…

"Don't even go there," I told myself. There was no way I could even think about losing one of my Pokemon, one of my team/friends/family who had gone through so much with me. I would find Charizard.

I checked the rest of my pockets and my bag: Charizardite Y(Professor Sycamore had designated it Charizardite Y, saying that one of his old lab assistants had a Charizard who Mega Evolved in a different way.), Shelgon's Pokeball, Fraxure's Pokeball, Ampharosite, Keystone, Ampharos's Pokeball, the empty container that held Madam Amedee's food, Potions, bandages, a half-depleted bottle of painkillers, a note from my doctors about what I shouldn't do after my side injury that I had never really read, antidotes, my Trainer Card, five Badges, a Holo Caster, three Pokeballs…

"Putain!" I swore again, louder this time. The gooey Pokemon beside me jumped in fright.

I dug through my bag again.

"Where is Vibrava's Pokeball?" I asked, as if someone could hear me. Other than the little Pokemon, of course, since it couldn't know the answer.

Okay, I thought, relax. I'll find Charizard and Vibrava. Panicking will only make it all worse.

I turned on my Holo Caster, wanting to contact Dominic and see if he was okay, if any of the others of one of my Pokemon happened to be with him. The Holo Caster began projecting a damaged, distorted image and making horrible squawking sounds. It had been damaged in the fall. I swore under my breath and turned it off.

"Okay," I said to myself, "I can do this."

I repacked my bag and stood up. I picked the direction that I expected would take me back toward the hovercraft, though in all honesty I had no idea which way that was after almost drowning, and started walking.

After I had been walking for a few minutes, I heard voices from a spot ahead. The hope of seeing my friends or my Pokemon again made me ridiculously happy, and I ran over to investigate.

As I got closer, I was suddenly jerked to a stop and fell painfully to the ground. My foot had sunk in the mud and pinned me. I looked down in panic before hearing a groaning creek. The tree to my right was moaning as its trunk twisted. It must have been damaged by the explosion, and my footfall knocked it off balance. It began to fall on me, getting larger as it swung at my head like a massive hammer.

A blast of purple-red fire hit the tree and knocked it forward, causing it to land right in front of me. I released a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. I knew that fire, it was the move Dragonbreath.

I looked back to see my Dragon-type savior, half-expecting to see Vibrava hovering there, her clear green eyes filled with that ever-present innocence she seemed to have.

To my surprise, it was the little gooey Pokemon, trails of red plasma curling from its cute mouth.

"You?" I choked in surprise and gratitude.

The Pokemon made a proud noise and nodded at me.

"Whoa," I breathed. I would not have pegged it as being able to use Dragon moves.

The Pokemon then summoned up a wave of Muddy Water and washed me free of the mud.

"Thank you again," I said.

The little Pokemon jumped up onto my shoulder in a way that reminded me of Charmander. I thought briefly about Charizard and instantly felt my chest fill with sadness and, surprisingly, had to fight back a tear. I never cried… I would find her.

"Hey," I said, forcing my attention back to right now, "Do you want to come with me?"

The gooey Pokemon glorbled in agreement.

I pulled a Pokeball from my bag and switched it to scan mode, acquiring a scan of the little Pokemon riding my shoulder.

The Pokemon stared with confusion at the Pokeball.

"This is just something that makes it easier for people to travel with Pokemon," I explained, "I can use it to heal you or give you a rest whenever you need it. I've even used it to save my Pokemon a few times." I added that last part thinking of when I'd returned Bagon from under a bloodthirsty horde of Seviper and saved Charmeleon from falling to the floor of Viola's Gym. Charmeleon made me think of Charizard. I will find her.

The little Pokemon jumped forward, knocking into the Pokeball in my left hand and triggering the capture sequence. The capsule split open at the black line and released a thick rope of white light, hundreds of tiny strands of white energy woven together. The rope of light attatched to the Pokemon and then violently unspun, throwing streamers of white and hot drops of light everywhere, whipping me in the face with its power. The strands spun around, flying for at least three meters away from the Pokemon before returning at high speed and wrapping around the gooey Pokemon. In no time, the hundreds of laces had netted the Pokemon. The Pokeball then sucked the mass of energy inside its spherical shape and snapped closed. It shook three times in my hand before shooting a few sparks.

"Welcome to the team," I began, before realizing that I had no idea what the little gooey Pokemon was called.

I sent out my new Pokemon who smiled up at me.

"Hey, can you guide me to where those voices are?" I asked. Admittedly, it was a complicated request, but somehow my Pokemon always seemed to understand me. I understood them too. Somehow, we kept communicating without words.

The little Pokemon glorbled and led me forward, taking me around the dangerous spots and closer to the place where I had heard the voices coming from.

"I'm sending you scans of the damage now," said a female voice, sounding strangely happy at the idea of reporting damage. It definitely wasn't Liz or Evelyn.

I couldn't see who was talking because the huge leaves of some bizarre swamp tree separated me from the speaker, but something about her voice made me uneasy. I gestured for my new Pokemon to be silent and the slowly lifted up the leaf to see who I had heard.

Not them again. I looked out in horror over the people standing on island of dying grass, thinking of the worst now that I knew that Charizard and Vibrava were in a swamp where they were.

A woman stood nearest to me, speaking to the image of a man projected by a Holo Caster. Behind her, a few men and women stood at attention, clearly her subordinates waiting for her to finish. They all wore the signature orange suits of Flare.

"The blast damage was amazing," continued the woman. She wore a set of strange armor that looked very similar to the armor Celosia had worn, but was cutesier and had a tie and a skirt. She also wore a visor over her eyes, but hers grey, made of three elegant strips of metal with a single orange light in the center. "You wouldn't believe the amount of destruction over here. I've seen so many injured Pokemon, it's glorious."

"That's not a good thing," the man answered. He was wearing a different sort of suit than most of the men of Flare. His seemed more scientific and featured a lab coat. He wore a weird set of black goggles and had a strange hairstyle that made his pale, waxy skin look even worse over the cyan-colored Holo Caster projection.

"Xerosic, I know the main man doesn't like to get his hands dirty," responded the woman, "But you should see the amount of pain they're in! These bioweapons are incredible! I think every Pokemon hit will be dead within the day!"

My lips curled in disgust at how much she was loving this. I only seen her for about thirty seconds, but I already hated her more than anyone else I'd met.

"He doesn't want suffering," replied the man, Xerosic, "His goal has always been to do it painlessly. This test is a failure. And why are you calling him the main man?"

"You never know who could be listening," explained the woman, "Like that fool who's hiding behind a tree. He thinks that I don't see him."

A chill ran down my spine. Was she talking about me? I decided to remain perfectly still.

"Very well, Aliana," said Xerosic, "I will report your results to Lys- the main man. When you're finished here, report to Laverre City."

"Bye," said Aliana, kicking the Holo Caster's off switch and impressively flipping it off the ground with her feet. She caught it gracefully and gave it to one of the Flare men.

"Well," said Aliana, brightening up, "These bombs are useless to us now. So I guess we'll just have to get rid of them. I can think of some ways. Isn't it a shame that we didn't hit any of the hovercraft's crew? Their screams would have been beautiful… data."

My fists curled. Listening to her talk was disturbing.

"Oh, how are the rest of our operatives doing? We still have two groups out setting charges, right?" she asked, turning to the group of Flare members.

"Group one is pinned down," reported a female Flare agent, "They were attacked by a group of teenage Pokemon trainers."

"Held up by children? That's just pathetic! And kind of amusing. I'll have to go check it out. How is the other group doing?" she asked.

"We haven't heard from them since the reported being attacked by a rouge Charizard," answered a male Flare agent. I smiled at his report. Charizard was safe. Now I just needed to find Vibrava.

"Okay, everyone!" said Aliana, "Let's get packed up and go set the last of the charges! Maybe we can hit that group of teenagers to see what the bombs do humans! But first, I have a little something to take care of!"

She took something that gleamed from a pocket of her armor- was it a knife? Suddenly, her wrist flicked faster than my eye could follow and something sharp was headed right for me.

I couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way, so I just raised my arms to cover my face and braced for the pain.

I heard the hissing roar of Dragonbreath and watched the knife fall from the air, knocked down by my new Pokemon's move. I watched the blade hit the ground. It was dripping with something, probably poison.

The Dragonbreath had blocked the knife, but it had also obliterated the tree, my only cover. I was uncomfortably exposed here. I didn't like the way this was going. A group of Flare agents led by this disgusting chienne with some kind of bioweapon explosive… I didn't want to be anywhere near this scene, and I especially didn't want my Pokemon around here.

"How entertaining! A Goomy!" said Aliana, touching the cute little tie on her armor, "Does anyone have salt? There's something I've always wanted to try."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded, almost screaming at her.

"Aww, do you love your Goomy? I've seen a few of them in this swamp, twitching on the ground and bleeding. You should be glad that yours escaped the bomb. Isn't it strange how foamy their blood is? It's like a bubble bath!" she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

I didn't even respond this time. I was so angry that I just charged at her blindly. She snapped her fingers and pointed. Four Flare agents formed a wall between us, and I skidded to a stop, kicking mud all over their fancy suits.

"Keep him busy," she ordered, "I'm going to find that group of teenagers and show them what happens to those who interfere with Flare. You're amusing and kind of cute, so I think I'll keep you around for now. Oh, hey! Are they your friends?"

The look on my face must have given away the answer. I was looking for a way around the Flare agents and had finally gotten an idea, but her question and disturbing compliment had completely derailed my focus.

"They are! Well, I hope you had a good time with them. You're going to need to make some new ones!" she laughed a little, a disturbingly innocent laugh like that of a toddler. She then walked away briskly. I memorized which way she went, knowing that I would have to follow her to get to my friends. Charizard and Vibrava will have to wait for a little while.

On the upside, though, now I knew my new Pokemon's name.

The four people standing in my way each took a Pokeball from some pocket in their orange suits and threw them, forming a blockade of Pokemon.

I didn't have time to sweep up this trash. I sent out Shelgon, Fraxure, and Ampharos, ordering a move from each of them, as well as giving Goomy a command for the first time.

Fraxure used Dual Chop, hitting the damp ground and throwing a massive wave of mud into the air. Ampharos and Goomy combined Discharge and Dragonbreath, creating a curtain of electric plasma, and Shelgon shielded the five of us with Protect.

"That actually worked," I said softy, "Great job, team."

Ampharos gave Goomy an approving nod, apparently impressed by his new teammate's power. Goomy made a squishy sound of happiness at the compliment, somewhat ruining its cool image.

"Let's move!" I called. Goomy jumped onto my shoulder and we ran after Aliana, my Pokemon staying close behind me. We wove through the dazed Flare members and their damaged Pokemon. One was still conscious enough to attack us, but Shelgon blocked it with Protect.

I caught sight of a flash of orange ahead and sped up. Shelgon and Ampharos began falling behind, their speed hindered by their short legs, so I returned them.

As we got closer, Aliana turned around and noticed us. She gave a small giggle and her brisk walk turned into a sprint. She touched a button on the side of her weird goggles and turned sharply, her momentum almost carrying her into the swamp. I assumed she was accessing a map on her eyewear, but she could have just been leading us nowhere.

"Dragonbreath!" I called, pointing at the sprinting figure of Aliana. Normally, I would have never called a move on a human, but this situation definitely wasn't normal.

Goomy nodded, frowning its cute little face in rage and firing a destructive beam of crimson plasma.

Aliana laughed and avoided the move, which hit the ground and resulted in a towering blast of mud.

"Again!" I said, this time pointing to a tree in ahead of the woman we were chasing.

Goomy fired again, knocking the tree into her way. She moved with the grace of a gymnast and effortlessly jumped over the obstacle, throwing a Pokeball behind her in the same motion.

A powerful Pokemon appeared in the circle of light, beating its jagged blue wings, opening its blood-red jaw, and giving a spine-chilling roar. Aliana smoothly slowed down and caught the Pokeball.

"You're making this too much fun!" she exclaimed, "Druddigon, Surf!"

Her Pokemon pounded the ground and sent a massive wave of clean, deep blue water at me that sparkled in the sunlight, more beautiful than anything in the swamp.

"Muddy Water!" I called, holding my hands out to give Goomy a place to land as it jumped down from my shoulder to the ground. I had seen Goomy use Muddy Water earlier when my foot was stuck, and I was hoping that its power would be enough to counter Surf. I didn't want to end up stuck in the bog while Aliana bombed my friends.

Goomy summoned a massive, murky wave at the incoming Surf. The two towering walls of water met and stopped each other, flooding outward gently and soaking everyone.

Aliana coughed gently and wrung water out of her frilly skirt. "Dragon Claw! Carve up the ground!"

Druddigon began slashing at the marsh ground, carving it up, throwing mud at my eyes and blinding me.

I could hear Aliana laugh and return Druddigon. Her sprinting footsteps began again. I growled in frustration, and began to wipe viciously at my eyes, but it didn't do any good and I only packed the muck tighter to my face. I couldn't follow her if I couldn't see!

I felt a rough hand grab mine.

"Fraxure?" I asked.

I heard her rumbling, grating answer. She tugged on my hand and I obediently followed, allowing my Pokemon to lead me through the swamp.

I stumbled a few times and almost missed a sharp turn, forcing Fraxure to get in my way and knock me back, but Fraxure's idea worked surprisingly well. We were fast enough to catch up to Aliana, and I could hear her laugh. I was really starting to hate that laugh.

"Your Pokemon are so loyal to you!" she said with amusement, "Oh, we're almost at the place where your friends are keeping my agents pinned down. I still can't get a fix on where that other group with the rouge Charizard is. It's so annoying! It's like being blind, you know?"

I got incredibly angry. She was petty enough to taunt me like that? It wasn't even a good insult. I missed a step and fell to the ground.

"Whoopsie!" I heard her call, "C'mon, get up! Don't make this boring."

Like I cared about disappointing her.

I struggled to my knees, which turned out to be really hard to while blinded in a swamp. I was about to start running again when I felt Fraxure hold my head in place. She growled a warning, which I assumed was a command not to move. I held still, trusting her, even when I heard the sound of her lighting her dual chop. I felt heat on my face, bleeding through the encrustation of mud. I felt a soft impact to my face and watched in relief as the mud, dried by the heat of Fraxure's hands, cracked and fell off my face.

Fraxure extinguished her hand and held it up for a fist bump, which I took her up on. Goomy fired Dragonbreath without me calling anything and hit the ground right beneath Aliana, tripping her up in the explosion of mud.

"Good!" she said.

I chased her for a few more minutes until we reached the site of a pitched battle. Dominic and Evelyn were having a Pokemon battle with six Flare agents, completely surrounded and fighting back to back with their Pokemon in a ring of opponents.

"When my agents reported in they were pinned down," said Aliana, "Now they have the upper hand. But that should come as no surprise to anyone. They are of course my agents."

Aliana retrieved a Pokeball and something round from her armor, throwing the Pokeball at me.

"Keep him busy," she told Druddigon, "Flare, retreat!"

The people in orange suits instantly withdrew their Pokemon and scattered in all directions. Dominic and Evelyn looked around in confusion, wondering whether or not to pursue them. Dominic spotted me and tapped Evelyn on the shoulder, and soon they were both waving at me.

I waved back and then told Fraxure to use Dual Chop on Druddigon.

"Awww, friendship! So cute!" said Aliana. I couldn't tell whether she was being serious or not. She threw the round orb she was holding at Dominic and Evelyn, and it exploded with an enormous, blinding blast of light and an echoing crack of sound. The two of them and their Pokemon instantly crumpled to the ground.

I felt the wave of force from the blast travel over me and my eyes and ears were suddenly pounding with pain. Blackness ate away at the edges of my vision, and I suddenly collapsed to my knees, feeling incredible weakness and tightness in my chest.

"Oh, that's no fun," said Aliana, "After all of that, you go and look at my flashbang grenade? If you want to do that, you'll have to get a pair of goggles like mine."

Fraxure looked back at me worriedly but continued to battle Druddigon. I could see the unconscious forms of Dominic, Liz, and their nine Pokemon out of the corner of my eye as I struggled to resist the force that had knocked them out.

Goomy fired Dragonbreath from my shoulder. Aliana dodged and retaliated with a thrown knife that missed Goomy and instead hit my shoulder.

Aliana slowly and carefully two bombs from a carrying case attatched to the back of her armor. The bombs were surprisingly streamlined and elegant for such horrible weapons, in the shape of silver, aerodynamic disks that stretched out perfectly at one end. They had obviously been designed by someone who cared about beauty.

Druddigon knocked out Fraxure and kicked her into the bog, where she landed facedown and started slowly sinking.

Aliana walked over to Dominic and Evelyn and left a bomb between their unconscious forms. She then carefully walked back toward me.

Goomy screamed and launched Muddy Water toward her while I struggled to move. My body just wouldn't respond.

Druddigon blocked the move with Surf. It then grabbed Goomy brutally off my shoulder and slammed the little Pokemon into the ground. It began using Shadow Claw repeatedly on its helpless victim, and I heard a tearing noise, but I couldn't see clearly because I was too weak to turn my head.

Aliana confidently stepped over to me and strapped the second bomb to my chest. I tried to resist, do anything to stand up and get out of this situation, but I couldn't. I kept kneeling. Maybe my right arm twitched a little, or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

She kissed me on the cheek and then sauntered away, almost dancing in happiness.

"Ready with Protect, Druddigon?" she asked, "I want to see it all! It's like having front row seats!" She pulled the detonator from the same case on her back that she had stored the bombs in and walked over to stand behind Druddigon.

I felt tears of frustration slide down my face numbly as I watched her finger hover above the button. Druddigon began to form a shield around them, somehow keeping up its revolting attack on Goomy while it did so. I looked at Dominic, Evelyn, Zangoose, Scrafty, Blastoise, Lapras, Chesnaught, Sceptile, Tropius, Ferrothorn, and Serperior, all sleeping peacefully around a bomb that would explode at any second and felt the pressure of a similar explosive on my chest. I felt the Pokeballs of my team in my pockets, wishing that I could send them out to help me. I saw Fraxure sink fully into the mud and heard the screams of Goomy as Druddigon continued tearing into my newest Pokemon. My right arm went completely numb, leaving me with only the burning agony of the knife in the nerve cluster of my shoulder.

This is not how I want to die.

My breath grew ragged and my legs twitched. Druddigon's shield grew more real in front of me and Aliana stared hungrily at me as her finger descended on the trigger. I used the pain in arm to focus and put all of pain and hate into a single jump, flying right at Aliana, feeling the bomb on my chest weighing me down, knowing that my life depended on it.


	20. Chapter 20: Fallout

Chapter 20

* * *

><p>I leapt through the air and passed through Druddigon's half formed Protect, which didn't stop me but hurt an impossible amount, like a rusty hacksaw was dragged through my body lengthwise. I grabbed the detonator from Aliana's hand and fell to the ground, passing through the agonizing shield again.<p>

I landed awkwardly in a crouched position, keeping the detonator clutched close to my chest. I heard Aliana make a pathetic, surprised noise from behind me. The world was still blurry and I was having a harder time focusing than ever.

In no time, Aliana was on me, scrabbling for the detonator. She grabbed the handle of the knife and pushed it deeper into my shoulder. I screamed at the pain; it felt like she was tearing my arm off. I didn't let her near the detonator, finally throwing at the bog as a last resort. It sank quickly.

"How amusing," said Aliana, twisting the knife again and smiling as I screamed, "You just beat me. You'll make things interesting, won't you? If you're in Laverre City during the next few weeks, why don't you keep an eye on the Pokeball Factory? Oh, since you won, this round, I'll let you and your friends live. Druddigon, go save that Fraxure before it drowns."

Despite the burning in my shoulder, I couldn't make myself stay awake and I felt the world slipping away.

"Bye!" said Aliana happily, "Let's play again sometime!"

* * *

><p>"Wes! Wake up! Please, wake up!"<p>

A blurry brown shape against a backdrop of blue greeted me as I opened my eyes. Soon, my eyes focused and I saw Evelyn's concerned face silhouetted by the sky.

"Hey," I said groggily.

"God, Wes," she said, hugging me in relief. I screamed involuntarily when she touched my shoulder.

Suddenly I was hit by a surge of memory and I realized that there were things I had to do.

"Charizard!" I yelled, "Vibrava! Fraxure and Goomy!"

I looked around. Fraxure had indeed been rescued and was draped along the bank of the bog, her tail still submerged in the murky water. Aliana had saved her. I could tell that she was still alive from the steady way her chest rose and fell. Dominic was kneeling beside her, staring intently at her head for some reason.

"What is it?" I asked, stumbling over to crouch beside him.

He looked up at me and breathed in sharply, his eyes full of a mix of sympathy, disgust, and anger.

I looked down and saw what it was: one of Aliana's knives was buried in Fraxure's eye.

I scanned the area quickly, looking for Goomy. I instantly regretted it. I couldn't believe what I saw.

Was that Goomy? It didn't look anything like the Pokemon who had been cheerfully riding my shoulder, smiling happily when I caught it. I saw a heart beating in the mess on the ground. I recognized Druddigon's claw marks.

Goomy was still alive. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Maybe the alternative would be better than whatever was on the ground now.

I started trembling with sadness and hate, tears streaming uncontrollably from my eyes. I wanted to kill her, to hear her scream, to make her suffer like she had made my Pokemon suffer...

"What do we do now?" asked Evelyn.

* * *

><p>I grunted in pain as the doctor stitched up my shoulder. He looked only at my shoulder and not at me, and worked with terrifying efficiency.<p>

I winced at a jolt of pain, and struggled to keep still.

The doctor finished and waved me away. He had too many more patients to pay individual attention to one.

I walked out of the hospital, receiving a sling from a nurse. It would help keep my arm at rest while I healed.

I would get function of my arm back within a few weeks, but the knife wound would leave a permanent scar. I didn't care that much. It would just be one more in the collection I seemed to be building.

* * *

><p>The nurse squeezed my hand in reassurance. Rain streamed down the window of the Pokemon Center's back rooms.<p>

I waved to Fraxure. She waved back and made a determined face. The eye patch of black cloth tied around her right eye seemed to draw in my attention.

"What's going to happen to her?" I asked.

"You got her to me just in time," explained the Nurse, running a hair nervously through her pink hair. She had told me her name was Nurse Charity. "I was able to surgically repair her eye. She will be able to see again, though there will be a scar and she'll probably have a blind spot."

Another scar.

"Do you want to see your Goomy now?" asked Nurse Charity softly.

I did. But I didn't. I had taken that Pokemon out of its-his, the Nurse said he was a male- natural environment and gotten him involved in a battle that I didn't want to fight. Evelyn and Dominic weren't his friends. What had happened to him for their sakes, on my request, wasn't right. In fact, it was disgusting. I didn't feel worthy to be his trainer.

"Yes," I agreed softy. I owed it to him to make sure he recovered, if he even could recover. I owed it to him just to share his pain.

Lightning struck outside. I couldn't hear it through the glass, and I only saw an oddly muted yellow flash light the cozy houses of Laverre City. I saw a man racing toward the swamp, ready to join the rescue workers, Pokemon Rangers, and Pokemon Center Nurses who were doing their best to cope with the damage caused by the bombs.

Nurse Charity lead me to the Intensive Care Unit, her footfalls hitting the ground softy, making no noise to disturb the aura of sadness that had settled on her Pokemon Center that now had entirely too many wild patients.

We walked by another Nurse, here to help with the worst of the victims of the bombing. The most badly injured wild Pokemon were being taken here for treatment.

Nurse Charity opened the door to the Intensive Care Unit softly. We waited a few minutes and made the necessary preparations to be sterile, entering the segmented room where multiple people could be cleaned at once. She began talking as we made sure we were free of bacteria and ready to enter the room. The slightest outside contaminant could finish the job Druddigon began while Goomy was in this sensitive condition.

"He's a lot better than he looks," she assured me, "The bodies of Goomy are covered in slimy membranes that make most moves slide off harmlessly and aid in healing. I mean, obviously the moves that hit weren't harmless, but your Goomy has a chance to make a full recovery. So, just… I'm not sure what to tell you, honestly. Don't be alarmed when you see him."

I put on a sterile robe and mask and braced myself as I entered the room that contained my newest Pokemon.

I saw Goomy and cringed. He was halfway submerged in a tank of water, and a machine overhead gently scattered mist on him.

"Pokemon like Goomy with Hydration abilities heal better when they're kept wet," said Nurse Charity, explaining the mist and tank of water.

Other machines surrounded Goomy, an IV drip, a machine that monitored his Pulse, devices that I didn't understand.

Thankfully, Goomy's heart was no longer exposed and his skin had started stitching itself back together. His eyes were closed, and unconsciousness was merciful for him, as there was still a huge hole in his side.

"Thank you," I said to the Nurse. I didn't know what else to do. Honestly, there wasn't much else I could do.

"We should come back later," suggested the Nurse.

I wished I could do something kind, something symbolic, like leaving Goomy's favorite food, a keepsake from our brief time together, or just touch his head and let him know I was there, that I cared. But there wasn't anything I could do, and Goomy wouldn't even notice it anyway.

I nodded. It was time to leave.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure your arm will be okay?" asked Liz.<p>

"Yeah," I agreed, straining to move the jagged piece of the hovercraft, "I'm not using it, I promise."

I was only working with one arm, but every little bit helped. I nodded at Caen, Liz, and the other people who were helping: a mix of workers, emergency first responders, Pokemon Rangers, and concerned citizens. We prepared to move the massive sheet of metal that was keeping the hovercraft captain pinned down. He yelled in gratitude as we lifted.

He was lucky. First, he had been pinned in a position that allowed him to breathe. Second, the bombs had done damage and infected many wild Pokemon, but the leftover toxins had somehow burned away or died seconds after the explosion. At least that's what the scientist had told me when I went left the Pokemon Center in Laverre City and walked back to the gate to Laverre Trail. I hadn't been really paying attention when the scientist explained the exact chemical and biological processes. I had just focused on the good news: I was allowed to go into the swamp and search for Charizard and Vibrava.

* * *

><p>When I left the Pokemon Center, a Pokemon Ranger I passed had told me that there was a Vibrava helping rescue people trapped in the hovercraft's wreckage. I walked over to the site as fast as I could, passing the temporary medical stations, little more than tents and stretchers set up in the marsh, that the Pokemon Center Nurses and workers had constructed in order to treat injured Pokemon.<p>

I passed one of the blast sites too. The center was a solid ring of devastation that the water had only barely filled in, and the lack of islands and plants told exactly what had happened here. There were too many injured Pokemon here. Field medics tried to help the suffering creatures on the ground while Rangers calmed down enraged and panicked Pokemon and workers moved some to the temporary medical stations.

A Carnivine had flopped weakly in my path. It had clearly been hit by shrapnel, as it wasn't infected by the bomb's toxin but was just holding its arm in pain, trying to protect a deep gash from the outside world. Something about its eyes reminded me of Goomy, and I was forced to stop and help it.

I had knelt down in the mud. My knee got wet as the wetness of the marsh soaked through my cargo pants. I would have to replace these; they were far too dirty to wash. I applied a potion to Carnivine's arm. The wild Pokemon clearly wasn't happy with allowing me near its wound, but it was too weak to resist for long. The Grass Pokemon seemed to enjoy the feeling as the potion began knitting its torn tissues back together and I once again enviously wished that the medicines worked on people. I awkwardly retrieved my bandages from my pack and wrapped the Pokemon's leaflike arm. It was extremely difficult do with one arm in a sling, but eventually it was done.

The wild Pokemon had looked up at me with gratitude. It communicated a wish to come along with me on my journey, which I was able to recognize easily from seeing the expression on Goomy's face just recently. It would be a great addition to my team.

I got up and left it without a second glance. I wasn't worthy to be anyone's trainer today.

* * *

><p>"That's the last of them," said a female Pokemon Ranger to me.<p>

I was slouched against a swamp tree, exhausted. Vibrava was hovering beside me, similarly tired. When my Pokemon had seen me come over to the hovercraft, she had given a joyful cry and dropped her Pokeball in my hand before tackling me to the ground in affection. I was so happy to see her that I was able to contain my scream of pain when I hit the ground and jolted my shoulder.

Caen and Liz had been standing on the same side of the ship I had during the explosion, and had also lost some of their Pokeballs in the blast. Theirs had all been returned by a helpful Pokemon Ranger, who had combed the swamp for debris.

I was still missing Charizard, but helping to move the debris and save the hovercraft's crew had been what I needed to do. I had helped people, and had in some small way atoned for what I had done to Goomy. Actually, I hadn't atoned at all, but helping them had been a good way to keep my mind off of what I'd done.

I looked up at what remained of the hovercraft. The hole in its side had stopped burning, and the huge mass of metal that had been an awe-inspiring airship was now sinking into the marsh. Pieces of the hovercraft, metal plates of its side that had been blown apart like shrapnel, littered the ground around it.

All of the crew was now accounted for. Thank God, or Arceus, or whoever out there actually cared, that no one had died.

* * *

><p>"How's it going, man?" I asked. Even I noticed how tired I sounded, "Found them yet?"<p>

Dominic began to speak, but his voice was muted and the projection only moved its mouth pointlessly.

"Hold on," I told him, "I'm not getting sound."

Liz tinkered with something in my broken Holo Caster and the sound returned. I nodded at her, wishing she had been with me when I was chasing Aliana so she could have fixed my Holo Caster then. Then I could have called Dominic and warned him, and Fraxure, Goomy, and I would still be okay.

"I haven't been able to find them," he admitted, scratching the back of his head in frustration, "I've seen some burned areas where your Charizard's attacked them, but they don't really make a trail."

Dominic had taken off in pursuit of Flare after I had woken up and told Evelyn and him about what happened. After I had returned my two badly injured Pokemon, Evelyn had helped me get to the hospital and the Pokemon Center. Liz and Caen had both helped with rescuing people and unfortunate wild Pokemon trapped beneath the wreckage of the hovercraft. After escorting me to the hospital, Evelyn had helped compensate for the shortage of Nurses by treating the injuries of Grass Pokemon.

"Keep looking," I said, "I'll start looking too in a minute."

"Hold on," said Dominic. He picked the Holo Caster up and started moving, but didn't turn it off. A few seconds later he said, "Wes, get over here."

I sprinted through the swamp, jumping from one small patch of land to the other, ignoring the pain in shoulder with every step. I was so thankful the Holo Caster had a map function that allowed me to see where Dominic was. At that moment, I loved the Holo Caster's inventor as much as I hated the boss of Flare.

I finally reached the spot. Dominic gestured which way to look, but my eyes had already focused on what he had called me over for.

A majestic, orange Pokemon was lying on the swamp ground, one of her wings pinned underneath a massive tree. She was unconscious now, but the mud around her was torn up from her earlier struggles to free herself.

"Charizard," I breathed, relieved for the first time since the whole crisis had began. Maybe I was worthy to be someone's trainer.


	21. Chapter 21: Warmth

Chapter 21

* * *

><p>I bought a new set of clothes at the boutique in Laverre City: dark jeans and a long-sleeved aqua blue shirt. I threw away the clothes I had worn during the fight in the swamp of Route 14, the shirt Liz had bought me back in Ambrette town and a pair of my cargo pants. Honestly, I was relieved to throw them out, to have one less memory of that day that had been a complete nightmare. Three days had passed, but my Pokemon were still recovering.<p>

I looked at myself in the tiny windows of the quant houses of Laverre City. My sling stood out less against my new shirt.

I looked up at the clock built into the tree right above the Gym. It uselessly told me that the time was 13 o'clock, noon. I did a double take, realizing that there were thirteen hours on its round face. Yet another bizarre detail in a town that seemed to be full of them. I took a Sitrus berry from my bag and bit into it. I had been eating the things all the time since I found a Sitrus tree behind the café, and while they didn't work as well for me as they did for Pokemon, they were definitely helping my shoulder heal.

All of the houses in Laverre City were identical, even the café and the boutique. They all had the same cream-colored sides with ornate blue trim and a roof of the same blue color. Each of them was covered in spots of moss that occupied suspiciously similar spots. Each house a white, wooden door set in the center of its front wall with a window on each side and a smaller one above. The Gym followed a similar pattern, but added a second floor and replaced the blue trim with salmon-colored decoration. The only building with a different design was the Pokemon Center. A lake shaped like a butterfly's wings splashed around slowly in the center of the town, and a nearby well that no one used loomed over it like a forgotten lighthouse. In the area of town to the north, the Pokeball Factory's stone smokestacks occasionally blew steam into the clear or cloud-covered sky. It rained a lot here. Signs proclaimed that it was the city of otherworldly dreams, but, unfortunately, my dreams stayed the same.

I returned Charizard as I entered the Pokemon Center. I wanted to keep her out of her Pokeball because it was nice having her at my side again, but Nurse Charity wanted healthy Pokemon in their Pokeballs if their trainers went to the back rooms. It minimized the risk of disease transmission or something.

Nurse Charity nodded when she saw me and led me to the back room where my Pokemon waited.

Goomy looked better and better every day, but he was still in extremely bad shape.

"He's making an unbelievably fast recovery," said the Nurse, clearly pleased with herself.

"Thank you," I said. I didn't know how many times I had said that to her in the past three days.

She took me to Fraxure's room, where my proud Dragon roared unhappily. Because of the lack of space in the Center, she was sharing a room with some of the recovering Pokemon who had been infected by the bomb's toxin. Thankfully, a local scientist (who, according to the rumors, had gotten the essential ingredients from a crazy hex maniac who lived in the swamp) had synthesized a medicine for countering the toxin's effects. The Pokemon Rangers and Nurses had worked quickly to disseminate the treatment to all of the affected Pokemon. As soon as I made sure that Charizard was safe and her wing was fine, I had helped as well.

"Relax," I said, turning my attention back to Fraxure, "Just take this time to rest and recover."

She growled, clearly communicating her wish to get out of the cramped Pokemon Center. I decided to prove my point and tossed a Sitrus berry at her. She swiped at it, trying to catch it but only clutching at thin air.

I raised my eyebrows at her. She groaned and slumped her shoulders in defeat, gently touching the eyepatch she now wore, tied around her head and covering her injured right eye.

"You can't battle with one eye. You have no depth perception," I told her, thankful that there were no Dusclops in the Pokemon Center. I needed her to get better before I did anything.

I picked up the Sitrus berry and handed it to her, "You want to get out of here? Eat this and recover."

She sighed in resignation and bit into the berry.

I waved to her and followed the Nurse out of the room.

I went to visit Evelyn, who was in the swamp training with her new Pokemon, Lombre. Lombre had been one of the wild Pokemon she had treated, and he had apparently bonded with her, because she had caught him. I sent out Charizard as soon as I got out of the Pokemon Center, and she stretched her wings with a yawn.

I found Evelyn and Lombre in the middle of a battle with a wild Stunfisk, a Pokemon who had been lucky enough to be in a region of the swamp that wasn't affected by the bomb.

Lombre blasted the wild Pokemon with high-pressure water, knocking it out. I clapped appreciatively, and Evelyn jokingly bowed. Charizard high-fived Lombre, who was growing happier and more confident the longer he spent with Evelyn.

"Hey, have you seen Dominic?" she asked, "He still has that water stone, right? You know, the one you guys tried to make Liz use. Didn't he find it in that Mega Evolution cave?"

"Yeah," I said, remembering, "I think he and Liz are on Brun Path." Dominic and Liz had been spending a lot of time alone lately.

"Okay," she said, "I need to get that stone from him later. I think it's time for Lombre to evolve."

I talked with Evelyn for a few more minutes about nothing important, then walked back to the city. I didn't really have anything to do. I was just killing time until Goomy and Fraxure recovered. Charizard amused herself by swiping the Sitrus berry I was eating and playing keep away with me.

I reached too far and fell in the bog, and she dried me off with the flame on her tail and her wings. My shirt was stained from the mud, and I hoped it would come out in the wash.

"Come on," I whined, "This is a new shirt."

Charizard just ignored me and ate the Sitrus berry.

I got back into town and ran into Caen, who was just leaving the Gym. More accurately, he ran into me, and we ended up in a tangled mess on the ground. I winced at the pain in my shoulder as he landed on my arm.

"Sorry," he said, his face inches from mine. I just sighed.

Charizard helped me up.

"Sorry, again, Wes," he said, blushing embarrassedly.

"It's okay," I said, pulling another Sitrus berry from my bag and biting into it, "How'd your battle go?"

"I got my badge," he explained, smiling proudly, "I just need one more."

"Cool," I said, "Where's your last badge?"

"Anistar City," he answered, "I heard that the leader there uses Psychic Pokemon." Was he still blushing?

He told me that he planned on going there right away. I told him that the rest of us weren't ready to leave yet, but he didn't seem to mind that he would be traveling alone. I managed to at least convince him to stay and have dinner with us before he left.

It was getting dark. We met Dominic and Liz as they got in from the east side of town, having come from Brun Way. They were laughing at something.

Evelyn came into town a few minutes later, and we all went to the café to eat dinner.

The waitress glared at me for eating a Sitrus berry at the table, so I quickly gave it to Liz's Eevee and tried to look innocent. Everybody protested when Caen announced that he was going on, but couldn't get him to change his mind.

After dinner, Dominic gave Evelyn a water stone and we all watched as Lombre evolved into Ludicolo.

Liz challenged Caen to a battle before he left. She frustrated him by switching her Pokemon rapidly before he could disrupt the communication between them.

"Dragon Pulse!" Caen ordered, his voice carrying above the howling rainstorm his Clawitzer had summoned.

Clawitzer fired a savage blast of power at Arcanine, but before the move could connect Liz quickly returned the fire Pokemon. She sent out Mawile in his place, and the Dragon move dissipated uselessly on the Fairy Pokemon.

Mawile defeated Clawitzer in a few moves and bowed gracefully toward Dominic, Evelyn, and me, her audience.

Finally, Caen sent out his last Pokemon, Galvantula. He tried the same Bug Buzz strategy, attempting to deafen Mawile so she couldn't hear Liz's orders.

Liz didn't say anything, simply tossing a steel-gray orb to Mawile and touching a small blue stone to her chest right above her heart. A cage of energy enveloped the two of them as Mawile Mega Evolved. Mawile and Liz used Iron Head, defeating Galvantula.

Caen shook his head, muttering about needing to find a way to beat Mega Evolution. Mawile changed back to normal and bowed once again.

Liz smirked. "You need to heal your Pokemon now, don't you?" she asked with feigned innocence, "It's going to be too late to travel after you get them back from the Pokemon Center. You'll have to stay here tonight."

Caen smiled at Liz and took Potions and Revives from his bag. He began treating his Pokemon in front of her.

"Nice try," said Evelyn.

"Bye," said Caen after he finished, "You guys are awesome! I'll be training around the region after I get my badge, so if we see each other again somewhere, let's battle!"

He got an idea and registered our Holo Caster numbers on his Xtransceiver, adding, "Call me if you're ever in Dendemille Town."

We all waved to him as he left. Liz warned him that he really wasn't the person who should be traveling in the dark, as he would be tripping over everything, but he ignored her. We all winced as he predictably tripped over the step to Brun Way's gate.

We split up after that. Dominic, Liz, and Evelyn went to the Hotel, which had been allowing anyone helping with the disaster in the swamp to stay for free. As it was almost cleaned up by now, I guessed that they would stop doing that soon, but so far Dominic, Evelyn, and Liz had been able to get free rooms.

I headed to a small hill at the east of town where I had been camping out with my Pokemon. Sleeping under the stars was nice, except for when it rained, but I had borrowed an umbrella from the café for that reason. Being surrounded by my Pokemon was also great. I would have chosen to sleep here voluntarily if I had known about it, and there would have been no need for the Hotel to kick me out. The hotel owner had just been in a bad mood that day, having just found out that his Pokemon, who he had allowed to go play in the swamp, had been badly injured, so when he found me raiding the hotel kitchen in the middle of the night for Sitrus berries he had kicked me out without a second thought. But I didn't really mind.

Vibrava had fun annoying Shelgon for a while, but when they started to disturb the rest of us Ampharos and I scared them into being quiet with a display of his Mega Evolved Discharge. I only wished Fraxure was here with us. Or Goomy, but I doubted that he would want to be here.

That night, my dream was different.

It began the way it always does, but this time there was a little green Pokemon flying around through the open windows of the house, somehow not being burned.

The Pokemon flew down to right in front of my face. It stared at me with its wide, blue eyes, the tiny wings on its back blurring in an effort to keep it aloft.

_So this is what happened to you. What she did. What you watched._

Was that the Pokemon's voice? What was going on?

_Do not worry. I believe that you are worthy. She, on the other hand…_

What was it talking about?

_You will know soon. Believe me. _

The little Pokemon created a doorway of yellow light in the air and passed through it, leaving me all alone when the screaming started.

I woke up shivering. It had started raining while I was asleep. Charizard was putting up the umbrella above me. I got up to help. Soon the rest of my Pokemon woke up as well, and we all huddled under the umbrella and watched lightning flash in the distance, hearing our own breathing, feeling the wetness of the rain and the heat of five bodies pressed together in a small ring of companionship.

I fell asleep leaning on Shelgon's back and woke up again in the morning. I went over to the tree and picked a few Sitrus berries before going to check on Goomy.

I saw Dominic on the way, who was training with his Pokemon. He and his Scrafty were coming up with ridiculously complicated strategies and telling his other Pokemon about them. His Blastoise was paying attention, but his other Pokemon clearly weren't. Zangoose, whose arms were cockily crossed over his chest, was clearly communicating his wish to win with pure strength and not rely on strategy, while Lapras was having fun playing in one of the puddles left by the rain.

I went to the room where Goomy was slowly healing and stared at him, thinking about everything I should have done.

* * *

><p>Four more days passed like that. Dominic, Liz, and Evelyn overstayed their welcome at the hotel and started sleeping at the Pokemon Center. All of us helped Nurse Charity finish treating the wild Pokemon and return them to their habitat. Liz and Dominic challenged and beat the Gym Leader, and Evelyn trained with her. Fraxure's eye recovered, and other than the small stripe of red she was completely fine, as if the injury had never happened. But it had, and Goomy was still in pain.<p>

Finally, Liz got tired of me doing nothing.

"Wes, come on," said Liz, "You should challenge the Gym."

"No," I answered, "I'm not going to until Goomy's healed."

"You aren't seriously thinking of battling with Goomy in a Fairy Gym, are you?" she asked with disappointment.

I shrugged. I really hadn't thought about it.

"How long has it been since you've had a Pokemon battle?" she asked, "About a week, right?"

I nodded.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of battling Fairy types?" she demanded, but her tone of voice made it clear that she didn't think that was it.

"No," I denied. Charizard and Ampharos could definitely handle these Pokemon, and I knew my Dragon Pokemon could still win despite their disadvantage. I took a Sitrus berry from my bag.

"Okay, Wes," she said, grabbing my hand and stopping me from taking a bite, "You're beating yourself up over what happened to Goomy and Fraxure. But it wasn't your fault. Everything that happened was because of Aliana!"

"I got Goomy involved," I explained sadly, "I should have just left him in the wild."

"Did Goomy want to come with you, or did you force him?" she asked.

"Yeah, he wanted to come with me! He just didn't know what he was getting himself-" I defended, my voice rising in excitement. Liz cut me off.

"Are you worried Goomy will hate you for this?" she demanded.

I thought for a second, then nodded.

"Do you hate me?" she asked, catching me off guard.

"What? No! Why would I hate you?" I asked, completely confused.

"Remember? When we were just starting out, I forced you into that fight in Glittering Cave. You told me that we should just go search somewhere else, but I was so angry at that Flare man and I didn't listen to you. I basically stole your Bagon and, because of me, you got sliced open!"

I touched my side with my good arm unconsciously when she brought it up.

"Whatever you think you've done to Goomy, it's nothing compared to what I did to you. I felt so guilty that I just left you there in that hospital. But you've stayed with your Pokemon and checked on it every day. If you don't hate me, then why would Goomy ever hate you?"

"What happened to me wasn't your fault," I said, suddenly very grateful for Liz's guilt trip, which was probably why she registered me for the League even though I hadn't completed our deal.

"Therefore, what happened to Goomy was even less your fault," she insisted. Only Liz would use the word therefore in normal conversation.

Her words made sense. Logically, I wasn't responsible, but that didn't make me feel any better.

"Okay, Wes, if you're worried about your Pokemon, think about your other Pokemon. Don't you think they need to keep battling and improving? You're aiming for the top as a team, remember? You can't slow them down," she pressed on.

"You're right," I agreed, "I'll go challenge the Gym as soon as Goomy's healed."

"Challenge it right now! Valerie makes you battle her three-on-three. You would be stupid to pick Goomy as one of your three. I went and visited Goomy. Nurse Charity said that he'll be ready to leave the tank really soon."

It was true. Goomy had been waking up every so often for two days now. He had been greeting me happily whenever he saw me.

"Challenge the Gym now, and show Goomy your badge. Come on, Wes. You know that's the best plan."

"Okay," I gave in, "I'll do it."

Liz escorted me to the Gym and more or less pushed me inside.

"This is it?" I asked, confused. There was no way that this was the Laverre Gym.

The room I was in was beautiful, but too small to be a Gym. There were elegant fake windows set against the faux-marble wall, and a graceful pink carpet covered part of the floor. There was only other person in the room with me, a middle aged man with red suspenders and a matching bow tie, and, judging by the descriptions of Valerie that Dominic and Liz had given me, he definitely wasn't the Gym Leader.

"Oh, a challenger," exclaimed the man when he saw me, "Step on one of the tiles in the back to proceed."

"One of those?" I asked. They were small circles of yellow, ringed by a gold band. Occasionally, they flashed.

"Indeed," agreed the man, "They are warp panels, made by Lysandre Labs. Simply step on one, and you'll be spirited away, carried on a fairy's wings to another room. Eventually, you'll find one that takes you to Valerie. You'll battle her in a three on three match."

I stepped on the panel in the right of the room. The world blurred into a shower of golden light and swirling pink petals, and, suddenly, I was in a different room.

This room had a black and red checkered floor, with a sewing machine in the center and rolls of fabric on the walls. No one was in here, so I ran to another warp panel and kept going.

The next room was a study, with a vintage desk and an ornate bookcase. A young woman in a blue furisode sat at the desk. She looked up with a smile when she saw me.

"Welcome to our Gym, challenger," she said, "This building also functions as Valerie's studio. She's both a Gym Leader and a fashion designer. Isn't she amazing? I looked up to her so much that I came here to learn from her!"

Without further ado, she sent out a purple Pokemon with horns and a pink skirt of fluff, which she introduced as Aromatisse.

"Shelgon, showtime!" I called, sending out my armored Pokemon.

Shelgon looked around and recognized the fact that he was now battling. I could tell that he was smiling from his eyes. He had missed this.

I was battling with my Dragon type Pokemon now so that Charizard and Ampharos would be completely fresh when I battled Valerie later.

"Moonblast!" called the woman in the furisode.

Aromatisse charged up a massive sphere of energy and fired it at Shelgon.

"Protect!" I called.

The blast hit the shield and dissipated delicately, without making a noise.

I called a Headbutt, and the woman responded with a Flail.

Aromatisse had a lot of stamina, and was incredibly difficult to take down. When Shelgon, breathing heavily and clearly exhausted, finally defeated the Fairy Pokemon, I breathed out in relief.

"Waaah!" cried the woman, handing me the prize money, "Lady Valerie! Help me!"

I kept going through other rooms in this Gym, passing through a dressing room, bedroom, kitchen, and even a water closet. I battled a few trainers along the way. All of them were women wearing ornate clothes, bragging about Valerie. One of them commented about how they looked like a bunch of dolls in a dollhouse, which made the Gym a lot creepier for some reason. A girl in a black and white outfit bragged about how Dragon moves had no effect on Fairy Pokemon, something which I had heard so many times before. Defeating all of their Fairy type Pokemon exhausted my team, and I had to use a lot of potions.

Finally, I arrived in Valerie's chamber. The room was beautiful beyond words. Golden lines traced a rippling pattern across the pink and white floor. Elegantly decorated panels adorned the right and left walls. Behind the Gym Leader, a tapestry with the Gym symbol covered the wall, its pattern matching her graceful robe.

The Gym Leader, Valerie, wore a beautiful dress of pink and soft yellow. Her arms were covered in cloth wings, and she stared at me with eyes as dark as the rainy sky. Three Pokemon stood behind her, awaiting her command

She curtsied at me and then began to speak in a quiet voice, barely more than a whisper.

"Oh, if it isn't a young trainer… So you've flown all the way through my Gym, fluttering down to me on a fortunate wind. Then I suppose you have earned the right to a battle, as a reward for your efforts. I am Valerie, who leads this Fairy type Gym. I hope your visit will prove entertaining to you. The elusive Fairy types may appear frail as a breeze and delicate as a bloom, but they are strong."

She nodded once and one of her Pokemon, a Klefki.

"Charizard," I called, "Showtime!"

"Foul Play," whispered Valerie.

Klefki spun its body quickly, creating a vortex of darkness that soon swallowed Charizard as well. Charizard struggled to free herself, climbing out of the vortex, liquid darkness dripping off of her head and wings and evaporating in the air.

"Impressive," said Valerie softly, "Foul Play makes its target fight its own power. It does more damage the stronger its target is. You Charizard must be very strong indeed."

"Use Flame Burst on Klefki!" I called, wanting to take advantage of the Pokemon's weakness.

Charizard turned to the Fairy type spinning serenely in the center of the maelstrom of darkness and blasted tongues of fire at it.

"Crafty Shield," whispered Valerie.

Somehow, her Pokemon heard her above the sounds of Charizard's struggle and created a barrier of energy that looked like rows of pink hexagons to block the Fire Pokemon's move.

"Beautiful," praised Valerie quietly.

I growled softly, frustrated. I raised Charizard's Pokeball to return her, watching her keep struggling against the storm of darkness.

"Great job, Charizard, take a break," I said, switching the Pokeball to recall mode and pointing it.

"Fairy Lock," said Valerie.

Barriers of steel gray energy appeared around the battlefield. The Pokeball couldn't return Charizard.

I looked up at Valerie, who smiled, knowing that she had outmaneuvered me again.

I wanted to save Mega Evolution for later, so I needed to think of a way for Charizard to get out of the Foul Play.

"Stop struggling," I called, "Just relax."

Charizard looked worried but trusted me anyway. As she stopped resisting, the swirling vortex of darkness faded away.

"Very good." Valerie nodded approvingly. As she had told me the way the move worked, I wondered if she had just been testing me.

I called Fire Fang, but she just blocked it with Crafty Shield again. Klefki retaliated with a Fairy Wind that did little damage.

I had to figure out some way around its shield. What would make her let her guard down?

I smirked as I thought of something. "Get in close and use Dragon Pulse!"

"What?" asked Valerie, staring at my approaching Charizard in disbelief, "Did this Gym teach you nothing? Don't you know that Dragon moves have no effect on Fairy Types?"

"Flame Burst!" I called while Valerie was lecturing.

Charizard's first move did nothing as expected, but her second knocked out Klefki. Valerie finished lecturing and looked at her defeated Pokemon, surprised once again.

"Very good," she admitted. She nodded and one of her Pokemon carried away Klefki while the other took up its position in front of her.

"Are you ready, Barrierd?" she asked. Her Pokemon nodded its pink head, its navy blue ears bobbing up and down. It began to pantomime the shape of a wall in the air.

"Return, Charizard," I called. This time it worked. "Go, Ampharos!"

"Misty Terrain."

Barrierd touched its hands to the ground, and pink mist swirled outwards, coating the floor. I could feel the surprisingly heavy mist sweep over my feet. It smelled sweet, like cotton candy.

"Thunder Wave!" I called.

Valerie shook her head, disappointed. "No."

Ampharos sent a current of electricity at Barrierd, paralyzing it. A second later, the mist swirled up from the floor and wrapped around Valerie's Pokemon. When Barrierd emerged from its cocoon of fog, it was completely healed.

"You may be strong, but if you aim to reach the Pokemon league and flutter to the very top, you need to know more about your opponent's moves," said Valerie, lecturing me once again.

I shrugged. I knew that I could win this using just the bonds I shared with my Pokemon. I felt the Mega Stone, the physical reminder of those bonds, in my pocket.

"Light Screen."

Barrierd pressed its hands against a wall that flickered into existence and glistened like it was wet.

"Discharge!" I called, watching as Barrierd put up more Light Screens.

The screens bent organically as Ampharos's move passed through them, curving and reminding me of bubbles. They seemed to completely drain the strength from the Discharge, and Barrierd took only a weak jolt of electricity instead of the full power of the move.

I debated whether or not to use Mega Evolution now. I didn't want Ampharos to gain a weakness to Fairy moves, but on the other hand I couldn't think of any clever strategies, and we definitely needed more power if we were going to use brute force against Valerie's tricky battle style.

"Ampharos, catch!" I called, throwing his Ampharosite. He caught it expertly.

I held the keystone in one fist and wrapped it with my other hand, closing my eyes and focusing. I could hear a crackle of energy.

_I'm glad we're battling together again, Wes._

…_Me too_

Ampharos roared and shook his white mane, the gemstones on his tail glowing brilliantly.

Valerie smiled, "Your Pokemon looks very powerful. Mine has little in the way of offensive power. Power Swap."

Barrierd nodded at Valerie and connected itself to Ampharos with a beam of pink energy. Ampharos grunted and looked weaker, while Barrierd practically glowed with power.

"Power Gem!" I called.

Ampharos's normally dazzling ray of light was little more than a weak flash.

"Psywave."

The rippling mass of psychic energy slammed into Ampharos, knocking him out.

"Great job, buddy," I said, returning him. I thought for a few seconds about who to send in next. Valerie still had another Pokemon after Barrierd. I needed to save Charizard for that battle. "Fraxure, you can do it!"

Fraxure appeared in the Pokeball's circle of light and roared.

"Dragon Dance!" I called, then looked at Valerie with satisfaction, "This is a Dragon move that will work!" Honestly, I had a lot of fun calling that against the "Dragon moves don't hit us" Fairy type.

Valerie shrugged and called a Psywave.

"Avoid it and use Assurance!" I called, then I got an idea, "Burn it!"

Fraxure dodged the Psywave, thought for a second, and then lit her right claw on fire and used the move, knocking out Barrierd.

"Nice!" I congratulated, then called her over, "How's your eye?"

She nodded and blinked, communicating that she was fine.

"All right, return." She looked disappointed, obviously wanting to fight more, but I didn't want her to be defeated because of her type disadvantage or to struggle so hard that she somehow interfered with her eyes's healing.

Valerie nodded once more, and her final Pokemon moved Barrierd out of the way and then growled at me. It stood on four legs and looked vaguely similar to Liz's Eevee.

"Sylveon," said Valerie simply.

"Charizard, let's finish this!"

Charizard appeared. I tossed her the Charizardite, and we Mega Evolved.

_It's good to see you like this again, Wes. Focused._

Liz was right. My Pokemon had been being patient, waiting on me. I could sense how much Charizard was enjoying the chance to battle again, and the chance to see me do something again.

_Thanks, Charizard._

Charizard bellowed and stretched her jagged wings. Heat rolled off her and the room became brighter, as if the sun was shining through the roof.

"Dazzling Gleam."

"Flame Burst!"

The room dissolved in a burst of light and fire. When we could see again, the image that greeted us was a victorious Charizard hovering over a defeated Sylveon.

Valerie looked up at me with a serene expression on her face.

"I hope the sun is shining tomorrow… That would be reason enough to smile."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I used Barrierd, Mr. Mime's Japanese name, because I don't like the English one. If that annoys you, then just think of it as a nickname Valerie gave her Mr. Mime. Thanks to orlock22, my awesome beta reader. To anybody who's been reading my story, wow. 21 Chapters. Thanks for not getting bored of me. And, if you wouldn't mind, please review. I've changed the tone a little bit. Tell me what you liked and what you hated, or despised, or just, I don't know, mildly disliked. Seriously, please review. It's easy.<strong>


	22. Chapter 22: Impact

Chapter 22

* * *

><p>"It's up to you," I said, addressing the little gooey Pokemon on the ground in front of me, "Do you want to keep traveling with me?"<p>

Goomy looked up at me. We were back in the swamp of the Laverre Trail, obviously in an area that hadn't been affected by the bomb. Every so often, I would see a wild Pokemon that had been healed by one of the Nurses or saved by one of the emergency first responders pass by. I stretched my arm, glad that I could finally take the sling off and that my shoulder didn't throb with pain whenever I moved it.

Liz had tried to convince me that Goomy wouldn't hate me at all for what happened, but I still felt guilty, so as soon as my Pokemon healed I had taken him out here to make the choice for himself. Liz, Dominic, and Evelyn were all waiting kindly for me (unlike Caen), but I could tell that they were getting impatient after staying in Laverre City for so long.

Goomy was staring intently at a spot above and behind me.

"Charizard…" There was a slight tone of warning in my voice. I spun around to see my Fire Pokemon immediately stop making hand gestures at Goomy and hide her hands behind her back. She looked away, feigning innocence, and tried unsuccessfully to whistle. She, like Liz, thought there was no way Goomy would choose to leave, but I didn't want her goofing around right now. This choice mattered to me. I raised her Pokeball threateningly. "Don't make me do it."

Goomy was smiling, obviously amused by the interaction between me and Charizard. Without hesitation, he jumped back onto my shoulder.

"Are you sure?" I asked. Charizard pumped her fist in victory quite obviously behind me, and I rolled my eyes.

Goomy made a happy noise and crawled to my other shoulder.

"Okay then," I said, "Welcome to the team, Goomy."

I went back to Laverre City with a happy Pokemon on my shoulder and a smug one flying behind me. I was happy too, for the first time in too long.

I saw Evelyn waiting at the gate to Brun Way, the route that led east out of the city. She looked concerned.

"Hey," I said, "Why aren't Dominic and Liz here?" We had all arranged to meet here at this time, though I honestly would have stayed in the swamp and missed the meeting if Goomy had taken longer to choose.

"Those two," Evelyn answered, looking concerned, "I told them it was a bad idea."

"What happened?" I asked.

Liz and Dominic took that moment to return. They were almost running, and they didn't look as happy as they normally did after spending time alone.

"They're at the factory," said Dominic.

"Why did you follow him?" asked Evelyn.

"Are you kidding? He walked right past us?" demanded Liz, "Why didn't you follow him?"

"I... I was waiting for Wes," defended Evelyn.

"Arceus knows we haven't done enough of that," said Dominic sarcastically. Now I was starting to get annoyed.

"What's going on? Who did you follow?" I asked.

"One of those Flare people," said Evelyn, exasperated.

"They're at the Pokeball Factory," stated Liz. Eevee barked loudly, agreeing with her trainer.

"So? Are we leaving now or what?" I asked.

"You really don't want to see what they're doing?" demanded Liz.

"I think we should leave too," said Evelyn, agreeing with me, "We've fought them enough. We've done our fair share." She was obviously thinking of the Power Plant. We had all told her that we didn't blame her for that. Besides, nothing really bad happened. But right now, I didn't really care because she was on my side.

"They tried to blow us up!" exclaimed Dominic, "They maimed hundreds of Pokemon! You really don't want to stop whatever they're doing? Get some payback? Or at least stop them from hurting somebody else?" I was sure that the number of injured Pokemon hadn't been that high, but it certainly felt like it.

"And what if they hurt your Pokemon next?" I demanded of Dominic, "Or kill them?"

"What if we do nothing and they maim or kill somebody else's Pokemon?" he asked, then threw four Pokeballs, "Team, do you want to get some payback against Flare?"

Zangoose nodded, folding his arms. Lapras smiled and nodded, narrowing her eyes. Blastoise bellowed in agreement, priming his cannons. Scrafty agreed and shifted back and forth, anxious for a fight. Obviously, they all remembered the fights in the Power Plant and the swamp.

"We're willing to take the chance if it means we can stop them," said Dominic.

I couldn't protest any more. His words made sense. I almost wanted to help him, but a quick look at the Pokemon on my shoulder steeled my resolve not to get involved.

"I don't think I can let my Pokemon get hurt again, man," I said, almost apologetically.

"I get it," said Dominic, "But you can't let them win. You can't let people who would hurt a Pokemon to intimidate its Trainer beat you. My dad does that too. He uses whatever he can to scare his competition, and his kids, and anybody in his way. But that's because he's afraid of them. Because they can beat him. And if they do, then he'll be too weak to hurt anybody ever again. Wes, Evelyn, we need to retaliate. We need to stop these people before what happens in the swamp can happen here."

Well, his speech was a little disorganized, and he obviously would benefit from a public speaking class, but somehow he persuaded me anyway. Maybe it was the way his Pokemon were agreeing with him. He and his Pokemon were all willing to risk their lives for their goal, and that really was a very powerful argument.

"Okay," I said, now willing to fight alongside them if that was what it took. Beside me, I could tell that Evelyn had changed her mind as well.

"I'll go too," she said, "But… why does it have to just be us?"

We all turned to her, confused, and she began to explain her idea.

* * *

><p>"You're staying here," I said to the Pokemon on my shoulder, "Goomy, return."<p>

Goomy refused and jumped off of my shoulder, causing the Pokeball's recall function to fail. I tried again. Goomy got frustrated after a third attempt and blasted my hand with a weak Dragonbreath that knocked the Pokeball out of my grasp.

"Merde!" I swore, shaking my stinging hand. I took a bite of a Sitrus berry and then started to beg Goomy, "Goomy, you have to return! I can't let you get hurt again!"

Goomy looked at me, clearly not impressed. Charizard flew down to his side. I had planned to leave all of my Pokemon at the Pokemon Center before I went anywhere near Flare, but they weren't making it easy.

"Do you guys know what you're getting yourself into?" I demanded.

Charizard communicated that she did and I believed her, but I didn't know why Goomy would want to fight Flare.

"Wes, what are you doing?" asked Liz, coming out of the Pokemon Center.

"Oh, hey," I said, taking another bite of the Sitrus berry, "Did you find them?"

She nodded and then looked at my Pokemon, who were glaring at me. "What is going on here?"

"I'm trying to return Goomy and leave him at the Pokemon Center. I was going to do that with all my Pokemon."

"Why would you do that?" asked Liz, "Won't you need them when a random Flare agent challenges you to a battle?"

I ignored her and continued. "Why does Goomy even want to fight Flare?"

"I don't know," said Liz sarcastically, "It's not like they bombed his home or anything."

I protested for a little while longer, but finally Liz and my Pokemon convinced me. However, I readied my TMs, deciding that Goomy needed stronger moves if we were going to battle Flare.

* * *

><p>We walked toward the imposing building, framed by the exhaust from its tall smokestack. Blue windows in the design of a Pokeball dominated the front side, blackened by soot and glinting in the strong sunlight. Dominic, Evelyn, Liz, Two Pokemon Rangers, a very angry Pokemon Center Nurse, a few workers, and I advanced toward the door, forming an imposing group.<p>

It had been Evelyn's idea to tell everyone about Flare, the criminals who had caused the disaster in the swamp, being at the Pokeball Factory. The emergency first responders who were still in town, a small number compared to the people who had already left, had responded with appropriate anger, and were accompanying us to the Factory. Nurse Charity had come along as well, wanting to stop the criminals who had hurt her patients.

The six Flare agents who were guarding the door looked alarmed when they saw us advancing. We stepped up in front of them, two sides taking up battle stations among the hedges in front of the Factory.

"What are you planning to do here?" demanded a Pokemon Ranger, sizing up a Flare Agent.

"Again and again we meet," said a very familiar Flare agent to me, "This time, I will burn you. Go, Houndour!"

I recognized him from Glittering Cave and from the Power Plant. Liz apparently did too, and she swore loudly, drawing everyone's attention for a second.

"Not you again! What do you think you're doing to this Pokemon!" she screamed, grabbing his hand before he could throw Houndour's Pokeball. "I bet you haven't even been raising it! You know what, I'll take it!"

Liz snatched the Pokeball. The agent of Flare looked at her, dumbfounded.

"It will be happier with me," she said, full of anger and confidence.

"What?" he demanded, "You? Give that back!"

He snatched wildly at the Pokeball, and began to chase Liz. Eevee barked at him and attacked with Swift.

I drew my attention away from their scuffle for a second to see what was happening with everyone else. A female Pokemon Ranger was having a nasty fight with a woman from Flare, with the woman from Flare scratching at the Ranger's eyes. A male Pokemon Ranger had used his lasso to trap two orange-suited guards, and Dominic, Evelyn, and the four workers used that opportunity to slip inside the blue glass doors. I started to follow them, but Nurse Charity caught my attention.

She was having a Pokemon battle, taking on two Flare agents all by herself. Her Audino was struggling against two opposing Pokemon, holding its own with impressive power.

"Audino! Let's teach them a lesson!" cried Nurse Charity. It was hard not to be intimidated by the conviction in her voice.

Audino looked back at her and touched the tiara it was wearing. A jewel sparkled in the middle of the elegantly folded strip of metal with a design that reminded me of Charizard and Ampharos's Mega Stones. The Nurse touched her glittering blue earring and closed her eyes.

The two of them burned brightly in a swirl of red energy, and Audino Mega Evolved. I was surprised by somebody else using Mega Evolution. I mean, I knew we weren't the only ones capable of using it, but it still was pretty unexpected, especially from a Pokemon Center Nurse.

Audino growled at the opposing Pokemon, but the sound wasn't very intimidating. Its color had lightened and its body was now covered in graceful ringlets of fur.

"Fire Blast!" called Charity, and her Pokemon's move detonated with breathtaking power and a blast of hot air that swept through the entire courtyard.

"Wes!" called Evelyn, gesturing to me. I stopped watching Nurse Charity's battle and followed Evelyn into the factory.

Inside the Factory, huge fans set into the sides allowed brazen circles of white light to illuminate the maze of conveyor belts that crossed the ground and raised steel walkways that tangled into a maze above. Factory equipment stood unused on either side of the conveyor belts, and no Pokeballs flowed through the Factory. Flare must have stopped production. I scanned the orange-suited men and women who loitered around the factory and felt a brief stab of dissapointment. I had been hoping that Celosia would be here so I could get some answers.

"We need to get up there!" called Dominic, pointing to an office, elevated off the ground floor by strong steel girders and connected to the raised walkways.

The workers and the Pokemon Ranger made sounds of agreement.

"Can't those idiots outside even handle guard duty?" asked a woman from Flare with distaste. She eyed us with anger and gestured to her companions, who began to move from their stations all around the Factory.

We rushed toward the stairs. Flare agents charged us from all sides, engaging workers in Pokemon battles and actual fistfights. Two agents tackled Evelyn to the ground. I moved to help her, but a worker cut in front of me and rushed to her rescue.

"Hold on!" commanded the Pokemon Ranger. He looked at the staircase, which was blocked from us by members of Flare and general chaos. He grabbed onto Dominic and me, and lassoed the metal walkway far above.

He swung up to it, carrying DOminic with him. I was seriously impressed by how strong this Ranger was. Charizard grabbed me from behind, grasping me under the arms, and followed them, flying above the chaotic fighting. Goomy made a surprised noise as we lifted off. Charizard dropped me on the metal catwalk beside Dominic and the Ranger.

"Ball! Ball! Pokeball!" shrieked an enthusiastic orange-suited woman, throwing Pokeballs and a bunch of random trash at the Ranger manically, her outline framed in the white light from the fan behind her, "Ball! Ball! Ultra Ball!"

I flinched away instinctually when she threw the Ultra Ball. Its black color and round shape reminded me of the flashbang grenade Aliana had used on me in the swamp.

"Go on!" called the Ranger, stopped to deal with the woman, whose latest thrown Pokeball had contained a massive Swalot. Dominic and I nodded and raced past the Poison type. The Flare agent called a move on us, but the Ranger used one of his Pokemon to block it. Goomy, riding on my shoulder, turned around and assisted by using Thunderbolt, one of his new TM moves, on the Swalot.

Dominic and I entered the office. My eyes narrowed and my fists curled when I recognized one of the three people within.

"Aliana," I breathed. Dominic noticed my fury and gestured for me to wait.

"Come now, Mr. Company President," exhorted a woman in a white suit similar to the one the male admin had worn in the Power Plant, "We've already stolen all of the Pokeballs. There's no need for any further resistance."

"Aww, come on. It's so much fun when they resist," whined Aliana, her bizarre eyewear's orange light shining brightly, making her look like a Cyclops. I wondered for a second if that had something to do with what she had done to Fraxure, like a sick signature. She sat on a desk in the back of the room, facing away from us. She threw a knife at the old man tied to the chair behind the desk with a contented expression on her face. He was shivering in his expensive grey suit, his white-bearded head framed by knives stuck in the wood of the chair at various distances from his exposed face.

"Please," he begged in a quivering voice, "Haven't you done enough? Just leave!"

Aliana responded with another knife that brushed his ear, making him yelp and leaving a small trail of red on the chair's wooden headrest.

"I don't think we can use him," Aliana said to the woman in white, "The charges are already set. Let's just blow the whole place up!"

The man noticed us enter the office and immediately brightened up. "Help," he begged, "Whoever you are, please help me!"

"Getting a little desperate, are we?" asked the woman in white. She turned to us, and something about her was familiar. Pink hair, dangerous voice, glasses…

"Malva!" I exclaimed, "You're one of the Elite Four!" The Elite Four were a trainer's final test before a region's Champion. Any semifinalists in the Pokemon League tournament was awarded the honor of battling them in a series of four incredibly difficult battles. Those who could beat all four were allowed to go on and challenge the Champion. In all of the annual Pokemon Leagues I had seen on TV, I had never seen a challenger manage to defeat them all.

The Elite Four member shrugged, "I'm also a reporter and a Holo Caster star. I'm a very busy woman. Who are you?"

"I know who they are!" Aliana brightened up and swiveled around. "He's a random idiot idiot who tried to stop us in the swamp and he's a really fun person! Hi, Goomy! Remember me? Oh, and that Charizard was yours as well. Figures." She introduced us, pointing first to Dominic, then to me, then waved at Goomy, and finally recognizing the rouge Charizard.

"You meddled with Flare's operations?" asked Malva, surprise in her voice, "You don't look like much. Well, you didn't manage to do anything to stop us. We completed our test. Regardless, I can't allow you to sully our pride. I do apologize, Mr. Company President, but I'm afraid I'll have to grind your little glimmer of hope to dust beneath my heel."

"Ooh, fun!" cried Aliana, staring greedily at me, "Want a rematch?"

"No," said Dominic, noticing me start toward Aliana, "I'll take her."

He probably wanted to stop me from doing something that I would regret. The part of my mind that wasn't filled with the desire for revenge recognized that what he said made sense. I stepped toward Malva.

"Let's be civilized and settle this with a Pokemon battle," said Malva.

I nodded. She may be a member of the Elite Four, but my Pokemon were strong and I had Mega Evolution. Additionally, if I was losing, all I had to do was stall for time and wait for backup from below.

"Oh, what a shame. I have to fight that idiot I knocked out in the swamp." Aliana addressed Dominic dismissively. "You'd better not bore me to death."

"Shut up," Dominic replied calmly, "You hurt my friend. You tried to kill me. You'll get what you deserve."

"Talonflame!" called Malva, throwing a Pokeball. With the addition of her massive red Flying type Pokemon, the room was getting really cramped. "Shall we take this battle outside?"

Malva and I stepped outside the office to the wide section of metal walkway in front of the door that would make an excellent battlefield.

"Fraxure!" I called, "Showtime!"

"Brave Bird!" she called. Before I could even react, Malva's Pokemon disappeared in a blur of speed and suddenly Fraxure was slamming into the back wall, unconscious.

I returned Fraxure and asked Malva a question. I didn't like the way the battle had begun. "Why is Flare even here?"

"We're stealing all of the Pokeballs," she replied matter-of-factly, "It will stop other Trainers from being able to catch Pokemon so that only the people of Flare can be with Pokemon. Won't it be interesting when average people can't be friends with Pokemon? Send out your next Pokemon already."

"Go, Ampharos!" I called. "That doesn't make sense. You don't need a Pokeball to be with a Pokemon. See, my Charizard and Goomy aren't in Pokeballs right now and they're still obviously traveling with me."

"True," admitted the Elite Four member, "Honestly, I don't understand this assignment. After all, before Pokeballs were invented, people still traveled and battled with Pokemon. But it doesn't really matter what I think at this moment. I believe in our leader and his vision, so I'll make sure this operation succeeds. Flare Blitz!"

"Discharge!" I called.

Talonflame cloaked itself in swirling fire and blasted towards Ampharos, who was generating a curtain of lightning in response. I looked around at what was going on.

On the other side of the Factory, a worker was untying the scientists who staffed the place and freeing them from an office similar to this one. Beneath me, Evelyn was being chased by Flare agents on the moving conveyor belt. Somebody had made the pursuit more dangerous by turning on the Factory equipment, and dull metal machines swiped and welded at nonexistent Pokeballs, forcing Evelyn and the agents following her to duck and dodge. Nurse Charity had entered the building and was sweeping a path of destruction across the floor, approaching the office I was now outside. Orange-suited people fled from her and her Audino in terror. Inside the office, Dominic and Aliana were having a triple battle. Dominic was attempting to free the company president and dodge Aliana's knives while his Zangoose, Scrafty, and Lapras took on her Pokemon. I recognized Aliana's Druddigon, who was having a fast-paced slicing battle with Zangoose, pitting claws against claws, and felt another surge of hate.

Ampharos cried out before falling over in defeat. Talonflame didn't emerge unscathed, flapping weakly and grimacing due to the move Ampharos had managed to land.

"Vibrava," I said, "Let's do this!"

The two Pokemon glared each other down. Six wings flapped furiously above the perforated floor of the cold metal walkway.

"Brave Bird!" ordered Malva, clearly expecting another quick victory.

"You can do it! Rock Slide!" I called, planning to take advantage of Talonflame's weakness. As a Fire and Flying Pokemon like my Charizard, I knew Rock moves would be its worst nightmare. "Don't let it beat you! I believe in you!"

Talonflame moved slower this time, affected by the damage from Ampharos's move. Vibrava took the move, and, wincing and narrowing her eyes in focus, retaliated with Rock Slide. She practically glowed with determination.

Talonflame shrieked as it crashed to the ground. Malva looked absolutely stunned as she returned it. Vibrava glowed with victory, the white light around her becoming brighter. Rings of force began to swirl around her tan, segmented body, and she stretched out, her four wings dissolving into two larger blades, her tail extending, two horns gracefully flowing out from behind her head.

"You have secured a noble victory," said Malva, "And congratulations on your Vibrava's evolution into Flygon. Your skills are impressive, honestly. I hope to see you challenge me at the Pokemon League someday. It almost makes me sad to do this, but I have to crush you. Pyroar, show him the true power of the Elite Four!"

Malva's second Pokemon appeared in a swirling tower of flames, giving a terrifying low growl, its brightly colored mane flowing majestically behind its head.

I wanted to use Earth Power, but I remembered what Aliana had said about setting charges earlier and decided against it. "Crunch!"

"Noble Roar!" responded Malva.

Pyroar gave a bone-chilling roar that stopped Flygon in midair and made Goomy jump down to the ground and hide behind me. Even Charizard looked rattled. There was no way a Pokemon could attack at full strength after hearing that roar.

"Hyper Voice!" commanded Malva, pressing her advantage.

Pyroar opened its mouth and spat a deafening barrage of sound at us. I growled and returned my defeated Flygon, my ears ringing.

I noticed a commotion below. Flare agents were attempting to get past Nurse Charity and load the Pokeballs onto a huge truck that had driven up to the Factory. I could see the crushed hedges that marked its path through the window.

"Finally, the truck is here," said Malva, "The driver is far behind schedule. And that Nurse is starting to get annoying. I suppose I'll have to deal with her when I finish with you."

I wondered about who to send in next. Three of my Pokemon had been defeated, while Malva still was only one Pokemon down.

I sent out Shelgon, planning to stall her with Protect and do whatever I could, when a sudden creak of the office door diverted both of our attention. The company president, who had presumably been freed by Dominic, was sneaking out of the office. I gestured for him to go over to where the Pokemon Ranger was finishing his battle against the Flare agent, hoping that the Ranger would find a way to get him out safely.

"Wild Charge!" called Malva, "I know that move isn't very effective. I just want to see what your Pokemon can do. I should probably finish this battle quickly, but I'm starting to enjoy it."

I called a move. Shelgon took the ineffective move and responded with a Dragon Pulse that pushed Pyroar back and blew Malva's hair into the air. She must have used a lot of hairspray or something, because her hairstyle went back to normal after the move.

I heard a cry of pain from below as a member of Flare who had been attempting to push Evelyn into the path of a heavy, crushing machine got his foot caught in it instead. I couldn't find much sympathy for him.

"Hyper Voice!" called the Elite Four member.

"Protect!" I countered, knowing that another move would mean Shelgon's defeat.

"Flamethrower!" called Malva, "Burn down their shield!"

"Keep it up!" I encouraged.

Shelgon strained to keep his barrier of energy against the roaring tide of flame. Pyroar stepped closer as Shelgon's legs began to shake with effort. Finally, Protect failed and Shelgon was defeated too.

"Charizard," I called, readying her Mega stone, "Let's stop this now!"

"A Fire Pokemon," observed Malva with an approving nod, "You're an impressive trainer, and your Pokemon clearly fight with honor. Have you ever considered joining Flare? The people you've seen so far aren't the best representation of who we truly are. I think you would fit in well here."

"No," I replied simply. Malva did seem to be a better person than the members of Flare I had run into so far, but there was no way I would ever consider joining any group Aliana was in.

I threw the Charizardite and grasped my keystone in both hands. Charizard bellowed and brightened the room with her power when she Mega Evolved.

"Wild Charge," commanded Malva, now looking much more interested in the battle.

"Avoid it!" I called, "Fly!"

Charizard flapped her wings, their jagged edges whipping through the air. She gracefully turned and flew a circle inside the Factory, gaining speed as she surveyed the battles raging below.

I noticed the Pokemon Ranger who had helped us earlier. He was now leading the company president toward the door. Through the wide windows in the front of the Factory, I could see Liz having a Pokemon battle with a member of Flare while other agents continued to load the truck with stolen Pokeballs. Liz's new Houndour was obeying her faithfully, and the two of them seemed to be in perfect sync, which was weird considering that she had just stolen it a little while ago.

Charizard slammed into Pyroar at full speed, making Malva's Pokemon roar in protest.

"Flamethrower!" called my opponent, "Burn them!"

"Flame Burst!" I called, "Don't let up!"

The two streams of fire collided in the air. Charizard's larger, darker, and more chaotic blast was overpowering Pyroar's jet of flame. Malva and I both stared at out Pokemon intently, desperately watching to see which would overpower the other.

Just then Aliana left the office, giggling to herself. She stopped to throw something inside and return her Pokemon, then closed the door and jumped off the walkway onto a conveyor belt below, laughing like a lunatic.

I watched through the office's grated window as Dominic's eyes widened. The hand grenade Aliana had just thrown approached him, and he closed his eyes, preparing for the end.

Suddenly, three heroic Pokemon put on a burst of impossible speed, forming a wall to protect their trainer, combining white fur, orange skin, and blue shell in a barrier of perfect unity.

The office blew apart from the inside. Metal bent, glass shattered, foundations creaked, and one trainer's world changed completely.


	23. Chapter 23: Gravity

Chapter 23

* * *

><p>I fell violently as the walkway collapsed, spilling me and the Elite Four member onto the Factory floor below below.<p>

I saw Dominic roll out of that twisted piece of metal that had been an office just a few seconds ago. His eyes were closed, and small streaks of blood trickled across his face from where tiny pieces of shrapnel had grazed him.

"Flare! Evacuate!" cried Aliana, sprinting for the exit, "This whole place is about to explode!"

"That maniac!" said Malva, more to herself than to me, "She's a loose cannon. Return, Pyroar!"

Orange-suited people rushed for the door, and the woman from the Elite Four joined them, her white suit standing out amidst the river of orange.

"He's still breathing!" Nurse Charity's voice caught my attention. She was sitting beside Dominic, taking his pulse at the neck, her ear above his mouth, desperate to hear signs of life.

I ran over and picked up Dominic's unconscious form, needing to get him out of this doomed Factory, straining to carry his heavy body. I scanned around for his Pokemon, hoping to see one of them. I noticed a claw, a strong blade that had been attached to Zangoose's arm just recently, and bent down to pick it up because I wanted to keep holding on, not admit what had happened.

I started to join the workers and Rangers rushing toward the exit.

"We have to stop this!" called Liz, looking around desperately from point to point, "We have to defuse the bombs!" Eevee was panicking and tugging on her leg, begging her to leave.

"Just get out of here," I shouted, out of breath.

Liz stubbornly refused and ran over to an exposed bomb, putting her warm hands on the cold metal like she could do something to stop it.

This was not the time for Liz to be stubborn. Not after what had just happened. I gestured for Charizard to grab Liz and take her to the door.

I looked around one last time. Nurse Charity and Audino were evacuating, their tiny feet echoing on the unforgiving floor. Evelyn was helping an orange-suited man with a crushed foot to the door, where his comrades were waiting to take him. I recognized him as the man who had tried to get Evelyn crushed by the Factory equipment and wondered if I would be so generous to my enemy. I doubted it.

I finally struggled outside and watched the truck, laden with Flare agents and stolen Pokeballs, splash down the hill, which was now slick with rain. Aliana, balancing precariously on the truck's roof, blew a kiss at us and pressed a detonator in her hand.

I ducked for cover behind a hedge, awkwardly maneuvering Dominic to safety as well. However, it wasn't necessary. The explosives had been expertly placed, and fire gushed from the fans in the sides almost for show before the Factory crumpled in on itself with a terrifying noise. The window in the center, shaped like a Pokeball and glistening with possibilities, split down the middle before the explosion slammed it into dust. That image stayed with me, the threatening crack that divided the dusky blue glass, yawning like a chasm, a hungry mouth.

* * *

><p>Dominic grunted and swung the shovel. I once again moved to help, but Dominic shook his head and I stayed still. A drop of water from the cavern's roof hit my head.<p>

Blastoise swung his large, flat hands at the ground, finally cracking the unforgiving stone.

Liz's Eevee mewled sadly as she poked at a large, flat white rock, stood up on its end, buried partially in the stone floor, covered in goodbyes.

Dominic and Blastoise continued to work at the rock, eventually opening up a small pit. It was supposed to be this hard, the man had said, so that you would always remember. I caught a brief glance of Dominic's eyes, framed by drops of falling sweat, and knew that there was no way he would ever forget.

The Den of Spirits, the resting place of departed Pokemon. The large cavern in Azure Bay was filled with white marble tombstones and the lost dreams of so many. The man in the white robe who had ferried us to this island had recognized immediately what had happened due to Dominic's demeanor, and had instantly beckoned us to onboard the boat. Liz, Evelyn, and I stood by, watching Dominic work at the stone, wishing that there was something we could do. Charizard was resting inside her Pokeball, weak from flying us across Kalos right after battling a member of the Elite Four. I was sure that Evelyn's Tropius was similarly tired.

The weak metal shovel, bent out of shape from being forced to crack the stone, clattered to the ground. The sunlight intruding into the cave, intruding into this moment, grew brighter as outside the storm clouds that had covered the sun, threatening to drown the earth in sorrow, blew away in the afternoon wind like dreams.

Dominic didn't have much to bury, only a few things that we had found in the rubble of the Factory. A piece of shell dropped into the newly opened pit. A feather from a bright red crest followed it. Finally, Dominic was about to let the claw I had found slip from his hand when Liz closed his fingers into a fist, encouraging him softly to keep something with him. I wasn't sure if he wanted to, but he nodded regardless.

Outside the cavern, across the water that glittered in mocking joy, fishermen broke the surface with their lines and a cruise ship passed. I stared at its white metal curves until it passed from my sight, feeling the reassuring weight of the six Pokeballs in my pocket and being guiltily grateful that I wasn't standing where Dominic was.

I caught a glimpse of the bay on Fourage Road where Dominic had caught Lapras, remembering that time. The Water Pokemon had attacked us from underneath the water, blasting Ice Beam at us. She had been incredibly angry, but as she spent time with Dominic she relaxed and grew more caring. I remembered that time during Dominic's battle against Clemont when she had shielded a runaway Skitty with her own body, taking the move that would have hit the small Pokemon and keeping it safe. She had done the same for Dominic, and he stood here today with only a few lacerations in his arm from shrapnel, while she had paid the true price.

I remembered Dominic's Scrafty, who had always had so much energy and loved coming up with crazy strategies. His Zangoose, who I had helped save on the Muraille Coast. I touched the Pokemon riding on my shoulder, once more so grateful that Goomy had healed.

Dominic put three Pokeballs into the pit, now a dull gray instead of a vibrant red. The man at the door walked over as Dominic and his Blastoise began to throw the chips of rock back into the pit. The man's white robe moved gracefully as he sent out a Claydol, and his Pokemon moved the floor gracefully with Earth Power, liquefying and resealing the stone floor, sculpting a white tombstone. I saw Claydol's eyes flash briefly as it explored Dominic's mind, and watched as the tombstone was covered in images from Dominic's thoughts. Dominic was watching the grave take shape as well, clutching the claw in his fist so hard that a stain of red began spreading across his hand. The man nodded to signal its completion and Dominic and his Blastoise sat with their backs against it, one last moment of comraderie with his lost team members. I could see tears stain Dominic's eyes as he looked out of the cave and searched the sky, desperate for something that wouldn't, couldn't happen.

Finally, it was done. I had watched my friend bury his Pokemon.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to be okay. I won't give up. That would be an insult to their memories." Dominic touched the necklace that Evelyn had made him, a simple strand of brown cloth threaded through a hole in his Zangoose's claw. He hadn't taken it off since she had made it.<p>

Liz reached out and held his hand. The three of us were silent, not knowing what to say.

We were sitting on the hill on top of Coumarine City, the same place where I had come with Evelyn after my Gym Battle against Ramos. The shadow of a cloud passed over Liz and Dominic, leaving their shapes in temporary darkness. Dominic's gaze was still fixed on that cave in Azure Bay, which looked so small from here.

"I'll need some time, though," he told us. We all nodded, completely understanding and fortunately not understanding at all. I had lost my parents, but that was when I was so little. I could barely even remember their faces now, and that was totally different than losing a team, a family, that you had created with your own hands.

"You should go on without me," Dominic continued.

We all protested. There was no way we would be leaving him behind, not after what we had all gone through together. We had joked around and laughed together at every meal, cheered each other on during harsh battles, helped get each other out of trouble, battled each other, fought Flare together, slept under the stars together and begged Nurses to let us stay at Pokemon Centers. He had also waited on me when I was stalling in Laverre city, something that I wouldn't forget.

I remembered his speech, the one had made before we attacked the Factory. He and his Pokemon had said they would be willing to die to stop Flare from hurting others. They had meant it, too.

We couldn't persuade him. He wanted us to go on. Finally, after a long time, Evelyn and I gave in. Liz pretended to give in as well, but I could tell that she would be stubborn as usual and continue to stay with Dominic if she could. I wanted to stay with him, and I was sure that Evelyn did as well, but the guy had just lost three Pokemon, three friends, and I couldn't bring myself to argue with him anymore.

* * *

><p>The next morning, in front of the Pokemon Center, with the sun reflecting off the eastern windows of the building, we said goodbye.<p>

"Ramos will let you stay here for as long as you need to," said Evelyn as she hugged Dominic goodbye. We all knew that she was responsible for that.

Liz hugged him briefly, saying nothing. I had a feeling that she would be returning here soon.

Finally, Dominic and I shook hands, but then he pulled me into a hug. "Goodbye, man" I said.

"Thanks for everything," he said in response.

After a few more words, we walked away. Dominic turned back to look at the small, brown shape that was the Den of Spirits in the distance, gently touching the claw on his necklace.

After we walked a fair distance away, Liz sent out Tropius and Charizard landed beside the Grass Pokemon. As we climbed onto their backs, ready to Fly back to Laverre City, Liz made an announcement that surprised no one.

"I'm staying," she told us.

Evelyn and I told her not to for a few minutes, but we didn't succeed in changing her mind at all. We weren't as stubborn as she was, and we were all still drained from what had happened.

"Bye," I said simply.

"We'll run into each other again, I'm sure," she said, and I believed her, "I'll change Dominic's mind. We'll all be traveling together again." I wasn't sure that I believed that part.

I hugged her, and we talked for a few seconds about what we had done together, starting at Glittering Cave. It had just been a few weeks ago, but it felt like much longer.

Evelyn petted Eevee's head, and she said goodbye to Liz as well.

All too soon, we were rising into the air on the backs of our own Pokemon, waving to a small figure on the ground below, catching site of a second small figure on the top of a hill staring into the distance.

The air was cold, and I was shivering as we tore through the sky despite Charizard's heat. As we approached Laverre City, my eyes instantly found the rubble that had been the Pokeball Factory.

Charizard touched down, weakened by the long flight, and allowed me to return her. She needed some rest. I sent out Goomy, who returned to his spot on my shoulder.

Evelyn and I walked past the matching rows of houses and through the stone gate to Brun Way. My feet had barely hit the first crunch pile of yellowed leaves when my Holo Caster buzzed.

I took it out, half-hoping that it was Dominic, and Liz had convinced him to keep traveling with us. Instead, I was greeted by a different face, one that I had seen in the battle.

"Breaking news!" called Malva, reporting something in a massive broadcast, "The Pokeball Factory has been attacked. The identity of the perpetrators remains unknown, and the Kalos Central Government will be calling in an agent of the International Police to investigate this crisis. As the Factory is now destroyed, the price of Pokeballs is expected to rise to unprecedented levels."

There she was, going back to her honorable life as a reporter and illustrious member of the Elite Four, suppressing Flare's involvement in what had happened. She had focused on the price of Pokeballs and neglected to mention the most important thing that had come of the explosion: the death of three heroic Pokemon.

She was in some studio, completely safe, while Dominic was somewhere along Azure Bay, paying the respect to his Pokemon that they deserved. Liz was there too, doing something. I shivered involuntarily, even though it wasn't very cold.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Well, I've gotten about halfway. To those who have stuck with me so far, thank you. Please review if you have any thoughts about my story. Coming up next is the truth behind the suspicious way Wes obtained Bagon. <strong>


	24. Chapter 24: Needles

Chapter 24

* * *

><p>Brun Way was cold, and I was thankful for the long-sleeved shirt I was wearing. The stains from me falling into the bog had come out in the wash, thankfully, and now it stood out, blue against the yellow-greens and oranges that dominated this route.<p>

Small, grassy hills framed the road. The grass that covered them was yellowed, but not dying like the grass like from the swamp. Despite its color, it was surprising healthy and soft to the touch, and the gently-sloped hills looked like the perfect places to take a nap. Trees rose from the hills like dignified, serene statues ringed in autumn-bronzed leaves. Small shrubs surrounded their bases, orange with drooping leaves as well. The leaves from the trees and shrubs created a beautiful mosaic of foliage on the ground in the colors of fire, or a sunset, and every footstep crunched of dying leaves.

A Pokemon Ranger patrolling the route waved at me. I recognized him as one of the people who had helped us at the Factory. We made small talk for a few minutes, and I learned that his name was Silas and he was usually stationed around Laverre City. He had a conversation with Evelyn about the local Grass-type Pokemon, which apparently included Lombre and Foongus, and then challenged me to a battle.

He first sent out a Quagsire, and I battled with Goomy. His Quagsire had amazing endurance and defensive abilities, putting Goomy's attack power to the test. Finally, the battle was over and my exhausted Dragon Pokemon had won. His next Pokemon was a Beartic, a huge, intimidating Ice type with an impressive roar. I gave Goomy a rest and battled with Ampharos, one of my two Pokemon who didn't have a weakness to the cold of Ice moves. We finished the battle in a spectacular way, watching Ampharos's Discharge scatter and reflect through Beartic's Icicle Crash, with the individual spikes of ice acting like prisms for the electricity before shattering. Silas congratulated me and gave me the prize money, wishing us a safe journey.

Both Charizard and Goomy were now in their Pokeballs, the Fire Pokemon exhausted from flying me to Laverre and the Dragon Pokemon tired from his long battle. It was strange to not see my Pokemon and have them all be tucked away in their Pokeballs. I grabbed a Sitrus berry from my bag and began to eat it. My shoulder was healed now, but I honestly had grown to like the vague flavor and pulpy texture. I didn't know if I would find another Sitrus tree, so I wanted to save the ones in my bag, but I knew they would grow rotten so I had to eat them. I threw one to Evelyn, and she had the same quizzical face after her first bite that I had worn, wondering exactly what she had just tasted.

Further along the route, a girl with black hair that stood out in all direction challenged Evelyn to a battle, muttering under her breath about how the world was round. She carefully wiped down her Pokeball with a purple rag before throwing it and sending out a Chimecho. Evelyn sent out her Sceptile in response. Evelyn called a Swords Dance, and Sceptile began powering up its moves even while taking a fierce Double Edge from the Chimecho. Evelyn ended the battle quickly, with Sceptile defeating the Psychic Pokemon with a single boosted move. The girl muttered about Pokeballs remaining round even if she lost and gave Evelyn the prize money. We left her there, still muttering to herself.

Evelyn and I continued down the route, battling people as we went. Evelyn was a huge fan of one trainer's strong Vileplume, who gave Fraxure a tough battle. Eventually, after we crossed a small creek, the sun had set and it was time to make camp.

Making camp for the night was strange without Dominic and Liz. We sent out our Pokemon like we usually did when we camped on a route, noticing how small their number seemed now. Since we had forgotten to buy more food for traveling in all of the chaos with the Factory, we ended up devouring the last of my Sitrus berries with our Pokemon. I hoped that we would reach another town tomorrow, or we were going to be hungry. Evelyn and I joked about how stupid it was for us to forget to buy food for a few minutes, but then fell silent. Both of us were missing our friends, and the place felt oddly quiet and awkward without them. Eventually, after listening to the soft sounds of wild Pokemon, we fell asleep.

I woke up at dawn the next day. During the night, I had the same nightmare I always do, but this time I was numb to it for some reason and it didn't affect me like it usually did. Instead of waking up with my heart racing, I slept right through it.

We got up and rolled up our sleeping bags. Evelyn had to shake her lazy Ludicolo awake. Goomy jumped back onto my shoulder, and all of my Pokemon except he and Charizard returned to their Pokeballs.

Two sisters challenged us to a battle, and I sent out Flygon while Liz went with Tropius. Our opponents sent out Drifblim and Floette, and Liz told me that she would handle the Fairy type.

"Crunch!" I called, pointing to Drifblim.

"Payback!" ordered the older sister, and Drifblim retaliated, lashing Flygon with its draping arms.

"Leaf Tornado!" called Liz.

Tropius swirled up a massive whirlwind of orange leaves around Floette, blinding it.

"Dragonbreath," I began, but I could see that Flygon wasn't listening.

Her tail began to glow green, and she whipped her body around, slamming Drifblim and knocking it out. She had learned a new move.

"Hey, that's Dragon Tail," recognized Evelyn, "A challenger used that move against Ramos. I remember that it was able to send Ramos's Pokemon back to their Pokeballs before he returned them."

"Really?" I asked. Evelyn nodded. I would definitely be training with Flygon, trying to learn how to do that.

"Air Slash!"

Tropius moved with grace, slashing Floette and knocking it out. The older sister handed us the prize money while the younger sister ran away, holding her skirt. The older sister ran after her in pursuit, yelling for her to wait.

A few seconds later, my Holo Caster buzzed. I once again hoped that it was Dominic, and was once again disappointed. It was Caen, connecting to my Holo Caster on his Xtransceiver. The Holo Caster was really well-designed. Xtransceivers, Pokegear, and Pokenavs could all connect to it and the coverage allowed calls between Kalos and the regions where those devices were popular.

"Hi, Wes!" said Caen, excited. He probably would have dropped the Xtransceiver then if it hadn't been strapped to his wrist. I wondered for a second if that was why he had gotten it instead of a Holo Caster. After all, Xtransceivers were fairly uncommon in Kalos. Evelyn looked on from the side, disappointed. She had most likely been hoping for Dominic too.

"I beat the Gym Leader!" he exclaimed proudly, "I now have eight badges!"

"Cool," I said. I still had six badges myself, though I would be in Anistar City for my next Gym battle.

"Hey," he asked, "Where is everybody else? I made a bet with Dominic about how many of my Pokemon would faint."

I filled him in on what had happened and watched the smile on his face die. However, I got him to brighten up a little bit.

"Evelyn and I are gonna be in Dendemille Town soon."

Caen smiled and told us to call him when we got there. We agreed to after his Galvantula made a surprise appearance and startled Evelyn and me with its sharp mandibles, projected nicely in 3D by the Holo Caster.

We said goodbye and continued, crossing another bridge. Evelyn was challenged to a battle that was taking a while, so I wandered off to train with wild Pokemon.

As I walked through the waist-high, soft, yellow grass, I spotted a man who looked vaguely familiar. After a minute, I placed his face, and recognized him as the man who had given me Bagon back in Cyllage City.

"Hey!" I called, rushing over to talk to him. I didn't really know what I would say, but he had given me my first Pokemon, so I at least wanted to talk to him.

As I got closer, the first thing I thought was how awful he looked. His skin was pale, his hair was shaggy, and there were huge, dark rings under his eyes. He looked at me blankly, clearly not knowing who I was.

"I'm Wes," I introduced, "I met you in Cyllage City. You gave me my Bagon."

"Oh, you," he said, and there was something strange about his voice. He began to back up, nervous about something. I wondered if it was Charizard and thought about returning her.

"Thank you so much," I continued.

"What?" he said, looking confused once again as to why I would be thankful.

"You gave me my first Pokemon," I explained, "I can go on my journey because of you. I'm seriously grateful."

"You're grateful? For that Bagon?" he said, as if the very idea was funny.

"Yeah," I answered, "He's amazing. He's been with me through it all, so far, and he's the reason I've been able to get up here." I wasn't really sure why I was praising Bagon, but something about the man gave me the feeling I needed to.

"You're grateful? It was no problem, really." Then the look on his face changed, from the look of someone confused and in a hurry to the look of someone who has found a way to turn a minor annoyance into a major profit. "How's your journey going? Won a lot of battles?"

I nodded, hoping that he was understanding me. Honestly, something about this conversation was starting to seem off, and I was about to leave.

"If you're grateful, there's a way you could show it," he said, "Come on, I want to show you something."

I looked at him, a little confused myself. I had already delivered his box. I didn't owe him anything.

"It's just a short walk from here," he insisted, "My name's Chandler, by the way."

"Okay," I said, after I looked back, seeing that Evelyn was still in the middle of her battle.

He led me toward a structure that had plainly once been a tower but was now just crumbling blocks of grey stone. The place made me uncomfortable, beginning with the girl in black clothes, huddled outside the tower's ruined door, obviously hearing voices.

I looked down at her in concern, but Chandler told me she was okay and kept going. I followed him across floor that had once been checkered and down a staircase with a rotting red carpet.

I looked around the place I was now in. It had once been some kind of basement, and exposed pipes and metal grates littered its cramped stone passages.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"We call it the Lost Hotel," he said, and a metal grate behind him shook inexplicably to punctuate his ominous naming. "Come on, make a bet. The room's just past here. Oh, you should probably return those two Pokemon before you do."

I didn't really want to follow him anymore. Charizard glared Flame Bursts at me, daring me to return her to her Pokeball.

Liz would be so curious that she would follow the man anyway, and she would fight her way out of trouble if it happened. Dominic would want to investigate a ruined building like this to see why anyone would even go down here. The two of them would then force me to come too.

A smile twitched across my lips at the thought, and I followed the man along a narrow passage. I hoped that Evelyn was still battling. I passed a man in dark clothes, huddled against a wall, and saw two people staggering along in front of me with glazed expressions.

As they passed me, moving slowly like the undead in a low-budget horror film, Chandler called from up ahead that it was just past this room. I recalled Charizard and Goomy, watching her look of surprised outrage.

In the next room, tanks of some green liquid lined the walls, and multiple kinds of scientific equipment cluttered the metal tables in the center. A man with glasses moved with obvious intelligence, mixing something in the tanks.

"This," said Chandler, his eyes glittering like a scarecrow's, "Is where we make the medicine."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, looking at the man working on whatever was in the tanks, who was pointedly ignoring us.

"Just through this door," he said, "Come on, make a bet."

Before I could respond, he continued. I followed him into a room, much larger than all the others, where a gaping hole in the stone roof allowed light to pour in.

People in dark, ripped clothes were pushing up against each other, desperate to look at something in the center of the room. They were shouting, arguing about who would win.

Against the wall, people were huddling, shivering, slumped. Their eyes weren't focused, and their movements were jerky. There were shiny things, like splinters of metal, on the ground.

"Wes, was it?" asked Chandler, turning to face me now, "Maybe I should be the one thanking you. Your delivery in Cyllage City helped me more than you know."

I nodded. It had been a fair deal, then.

"Come on," he, said parting the crowd and pushing me by the shoulders so that I could see what was happening in the room's center, "Make a bet. You have all that prize money from your battles, right?"

A fence, a sloppy metal thing gathered obviously from different places hit me in the chest. Every meter or so, the design changed, and people were screaming, leaning out over it, looking down below.

There was a pit inside the fence. The stone of the floor had been chiseled away to form a bowl with deep sides. In the center of the pit, two Pokemon fought viciously. I was almost impressed with their power for a second before I realized that something was wrong with them.

One of them, a Herdier, was battling with all its strength, ignoring a deep gash in its side a horribly gaping wound in its right flank. The other, a Furfrou, kept delivering fierce attacks with its jaw despite the torn muscles evident through the open wound that revealed half its face.

"Get 'im!" called a man with a shaved head, "Tear 'im open!"

What the hell was this place? I shivered in disgust and anger when I saw the Pokemon keep fighting, blood flowing freely from their wounds and soaking the floor that was already stained a deep red. I tore my gaze away for a second and noticed a doorway in the back of the room that lead to a chamber where I could see Pokemon in cages, some sleeping, some struggling to escape, but all scarred.

I suddenly had a horrible feeling about my Shelgon and had to know the answer.

"That Bagon you gave me," I began. I couldn't finish the question, because Chandler had grabbed the arm of the muscular man who was going around, collecting bets from the crowd, and pulled him over.

"Come on," he wheedled, "Who do you think's gonna win?"

I looked down into the pit once again. Before I could respond, another guy had broken through the crowd. He was obviously a subordinate to Chandler, and was struggling to make himself heard above the roar of the crowd.

"We have a new customer outside," he said, looking nervous.

"The shots are in the room with the cages," Chandler answered, "The doc's finishing up a batch of pills now. Tell the new face that pills are for people, shots are for Pokemon."

The subordinate nodded and ran off toward the entrance to the Lost Hotel.

"Make a bet, Wes," urged Chandler, "I thought you were so grateful about that Bagon."

"No!" I shouted, disgusted at everything I was seeing, "What the hell? What is going on here?" I already had an idea, but hoped I was wrong.

"Ugh," said Chandler, holding his head, "Bringing you here may have been a mistake." He snapped his fingers, and suddenly the two muscular men collecting bets had put down the bowls of money and grabbed my arms, holding them behind my back.

"You're sick," I said. If he was in charge, then what was happening in that pit was his fault. In the background, I could see a girl in black clothes pop a pill and then start convulsing. "Look at those Pokemon."

"You should have spent some of that lovely prize money, Wes," he told me.

"What are you even doing here?" I demanded.

"Well, I guess it won't hurt to tell you now," he said. He gestured to the two men, who began backing up toward the pit. "In here, I make Solfanaria."

"Doesn't that stuff kill you?" I asked, remembering what Dominic had told me near Lumiose City.

"The old stuff did," Chandler answered with a smile, "But my new stuff doesn't. I even figured out another use for it. In humans, it gets you really high and, over time, slowly interferes with your decision-making process. Don't tell anybody about that, now." He laughed to himself. The men were now holding me to the fence, and a few of the people in the crowd were staring. "In Pokemon, it gets them high too, and they become aggressive, obedient, and numb to pain. Can you believe that? I was able to rework this whole operation and take over from the idiot who was running it last time, and add my own main attraction!"

He smiled hugely and pointed into the pit, where the Herdier was chewing off Furfrou's leg.

"Why are you telling me this, you sick-" As I started to curse Chandler, one of the men holding me kneed me painfully in the chest.

"Oh, I'm not worried about you telling anyone. Since you seem to care about those Pokemon a lot, why don't you go down there and feed them?" Chandler raised his arms, and the two men threw me over the side into the pit, where two pairs of hungry, angry eyes fastened on me. The crowd went wild.

I threw the first Pokeball I could find, which happened to contain Shelgon. Chandler laughed.

"That thing evolved from the Bagon I gave you, right?"

Herdier and Furfrou approached, drooling, and I grimaced as another muscle visibly snapped in Furfrou's jaw. I was about to throw a second Pokeball when Chandler's words stopped me.

"Go ahead, call out more Pokemon. It's not like that useless Shelgon can defend you."

"Shelgon is not useless," I shouted, "He's one of my strongest!" I put away the Pokeball. I knew that Shelgon could do this alone, that he probably needed to.

"That's just sad!" called Chandler, ignoring the crowd, who were urging him to start the fight already. "Why do you think he has that scar?"

"Because you sick bastards kept him locked up and didn't treat him," I answered, looking at the room full of struggling Pokemon, which I could barely see over the lip of the pit. I felt my foot touch something, and looked back to find that I had backed up to the edge of the pit.

"He was so useless. He lost every fight, and people wouldn't even bet on him anymore, so I passed him off to some desperate idiot I met on the beach." I glared at him, and he shrugged like he didn't care. "You helped me a lot, you know. Thanks to your help that day I was able to expand my operation to coastal Kalos. I've gone from being just an errand boy to the boss of it all. Thanks, Wes."

Herdier jumped at us, snapping its jaws. I called a Dragon Pulse, and the Normal Pokemon was raised and slammed into the opposite wall of the pit by the force.

"Now you're going to help me again," said Chandler, leaning on the fence and shouting down to me, "Put on a good show for me, okay?"

Furfrou charged, its legs tensing as it ran, slobber pooling in the corners of its ruined mouth.

"Headbutt!" I called, "Avoid its face!" Shelgon nodded, and delivered a powerful attack that knocked Furfrou to the ground. I ran over and took a potion and some bandages from my bag, trying to fix the growing hole in its jaw.

The crowd began to scream in expectation, and I looked around, wondering what they were reacting to. Herdier had somehow gotten back up and was charging at us again, its back leg wobbling and bleeding freely.

That Dragon Pulse should have taken it out of commission. "Fire Fang!" I called, hoping that the burn would cut its aggressiveness and attack.

Unlike a normal battle, Herdier didn't twist to avoid the damage or rest for a second afterward so as not to make it worse. It kept advancing on me as Shelgon bit its side, seeming to not care about the pain and ripping a wound in its skin.

Nausea gripped me. Chandler had said that these Pokemon couldn't feel pain, so if I kept calling moves on them, I would just maim them. Meanwhile, they would keep coming no matter how much damage I did.

Furfrou started growling and twitching on the ground. It managed to squirm out of my grasp and rip off the bandages, revealing the wound on its jaw once again. It was healing before my eyes, but I couldn't let Furfrou rip it open again.

I called Protect as both Pokemon lunged at me, and heard the crowd boo as the Pokemon just scratched at our shield. I patted Shelgon on the head reassuringly.

"I believe in you," I told him, "You're the strongest." I knew that being back here couldn't be easy for him. Just then, I remembered what I had seen in his head during the battle with Caen, a place of pain and dripping needles, and I realized what it meant. "I'll never abandon you."

"This is getting boring," said Chandler, "Come on, Wes. I told you to give me a good show. Alright, take these two out of the pit."

The two muscular men grabbed onto ropes tied to the ceiling that I hadn't noticed before and jumped over the side of the pit, rappelling down to my level. They brutally subdued Furfrou and Herdier with loud knee kicks to the side and punches to the throat, and then climbed out again, carrying the Pokemon underneath their arms, faster than I could attack them.

"Bring out the new one!" Chandler called from above me. I rubbed Shelgon's head and reassured him, glad for the momentary rest. I wanted to call out Charizard and Fly out of the hole in the roof, but it wasn't big enough for her wings. Also, I wanted to prove to Chandler, and more importantly Shelgon, that he wasn't useless. I figured that winning a battle here would be perfect for that.

I heard panicked barks as the two men locked Furfrou and Herdier in their cages. A few seconds later, I heard the massive bellow of a Pokemon and the grunt of a man who had been struck with force.

"Dose it now!" called Chandler. I still couldn't see what they were doing or what Pokemon they were preparing. I tried to expect the worst. "No, its skin is too thick. Use that one!"

I heard the agonized scream of whatever Pokemon as it was presumably injected with Solfanaria. Soon, the sounds of a mighty struggle grew closer.

Soon, a grey Pokemon with bands of blue and silver spikes came into view, its eyes slightly unfocused, being shepherded toward the pit by the two men, who were holding nasty-looking prods.

"Like it?" asked Chandler mockingly, "We stole it from a trainer a little while ago. I don't think your little shield will hold out too long against its attacks, so we'll get a good show!"

The crowd cheered at the two men moved a small section of the fence and the Pokemon tumbled down into the pit, landing on its rock-hard skull.

"It's a Rampardos!" said Chandler, "Wait a few seconds, and it will get aggressive. I don't care whether you lose and get trampled or you win and we take back your Shelgon. Either way, you'll give a good show."

I looked up at the Rampardos, feeling the nervousness grow in my stomach as the crowd roared and the sleepiness faded from the massive Pokemon's eyes.

"Let's do this, Shelgon," I said. We both braced ourselves for what would probably be one of the most disgusting battles we would fight.

All too soon, the Rampardos's eyes had filled with rage and bloodlust, and it was charging at us.


	25. Chapter 25: Acid

Chapter 25

* * *

><p>Rampardos roared and smashed its head into the sloping stone walls of the pit, cracking the rock with its force. A piece of the fence came loose because of the impact and fell toward me, forcing me to jump out of the way.<p>

The metal crashed to the ground beside me. It was rusted, but had originally been covered in green paint. I had no idea where it had been taken from, but it obviously hadn't been anchored to the floor securely. I looked up to see people pushing toward the new break in the fence, cheering for the Rampardos to crush me and Shelgon.

"Headbutt!" I called.

Shelgon smashed its tough, armored skull into Rampardos's. Shelgon had always been excellent at Headbutt, seeming to feel no pain from the move. Liz had told me that it had something to do with his ability, Rock Head or something, but I wondered if even he could block an attack from this monster attacking us.

The two Pokemon slammed together with a reverberating echo that made dust fall from the hole in the ceiling, where the sunlight taunted of freedom.

Shelgon leapt away and landed by me while Rampardos cried out at nothing. Ramparos rushed us again, swiping its claws, and I called Protect. Rampardos hissed and sprayed sparkling drops of saliva on the energy barrier, keeping up a relentless attack on the shield the whole time. It claws scraped loudly on the wall of force as it began to wear down Shelgon's stamina.

I noticed Shelgon's knees start to shake and knew that his Protect was about to fail. "Drop the shield and use Fire Fang there," I told him, pointing to a spot on Rampardos's leg that wasn't covered by its tough, rocky armor.

Shelgon dropped the shield and then leapt at Rampardos, his mouth filled with flames. Rampardos kept charging, not able to feel Shelgon's mouth, and the mouth sank deeper into its flank than I wanted. Finally, I couldn't stand watching Shelgon's jaw close on Rampardos's exposed leg anymore and ordered him to stop.

The crowd booed at my restraint, disappointed not to see some gore. They stopped booing and started panicking a second later when Rampardos kept going and smashed into the wall of the pit again, causing a large chunk of it to crack off. The men and women at the edge of the pit backed up in fear, their dark, ripped clothes blurring together.

"Bets!" called Chandler, "Will the trainer get out alive? Will Rampardos crush him?" I heard his voice over the crowd's panic. He was still trying to make money off me. He had dragged me into this whole mess because he wanted me to bet on his fights and I had wanted first to talk to the guy who gave me my first Pokemon, then to explore the Lost Hotel like Dominic and Liz would have no doubt forced me to if they had been here, and finally to prove to Chandler, the crowd of punks, and Shelgon that he could win a battle here.

I had been traveling with Dominic and Liz just yesterday, but it felt like such a long time ago that I had left them in Coumarine City. Dominic needed to mourn his Pokemon and give them the respect they deserved, and Liz needed… to be Liz, her stubborn, sometimes cold self. But it was obvious here that she cared about Dominic. I wondered once again if Evelyn and I had made the wrong choice by continuing without them.

Rampardos swung its head sharply out of the hole in the wall it had made, small chunks of stone sticking to the jagged horns on its head. It bellowed in anger, the Solfanaria driving its aggressiveness. My body shook in the waves of sound its deep roar created.

It charged at us again, this time jumping in the air.

"Dragon Pulse!" I called, raising my hand toward its flailing body.

Shelgon's move followed the angle of my arm exactly, slamming into Rampardos's chest. The waves of red force that radiated sideways off of his Dragon Pulse ruffled my hair and shirt.

The move slowed down Rampardos's fall, but didn't knock it back, and the massive form of the drugged Pokemon kept plummeting toward us, its head outlined in black by the bright sunlight from the hole in the roof. I jumped out of the way and watched Rampardos land on Shelgon.

I winced. At least we had slowed it down and Shelgon was armored, so the impact would be weak. Rampardos was on top of Shelgon, roaring and stamping its feet.

"Fire Fang!" I called. Shelgon used the close proximity to deliver the move, but it proved useless due to Rampardos's numbness. The massive Pokemon just kicked Shelgon in the eye, fortunately missing with the spikes on its toes. I decided that it was time to win. I couldn't let Shelgon's eyes get gouged out because I was worried about Rampardos.

"It looks like Rampardos is about to crush that Shelgon!" called Chandler's voice from above, "Any last bets?"

I looked up at him quickly. He still didn't look the kind of person who would do something like this to Pokemon. I had completely trusted him back in Cyllage City, when he had first given me Bagon in exchange for running a shipment of something- this drug, Solfanaria- to a warehouse for him. I had been eager to be payed, but when he offered a Pokemon instead I had leapt at the chance, having always wanted to go on a journey. I had gotten Bagon and been completely confused by his hateful, terrified attitude at the time, which I realized had been because of how he was treated here. According to Chandler, he was useless and had lost all of his battles. I looked at the scar on his face, which ran over part of the shell he had gotten when he evolved, even though it made no sense how that could happen, like it was a scar in his mind instead of in his body. I remembered how savage he had been during out first battle on Muraille Coast, attacking the opponent he had just defeated, no doubt because of the kind of battles he had been forced to fight here. He had eventually relaxed, but I was sure he never forgot about this place. I wondered if he had nightmares about it. He probably did, which was yet another thing we had in common. Scarred and haunted, the both of us.

"Shelgon!" I shouted, "Knock it off! Protect!"

Shelgon growled and expanded the barrier of energy outward, causing Rampardos to slip and fall off. Rampardos crashed heavily to the ground, roaring in frustration. I rushed over to my Pokemon and helped him up.

"Don't hold back," I told him, "This win is ours." I looked up at the crumbling ceiling that let the light in and down at the titan struggling on the ground, and told Shelgon my plan.

As Rampardos got up, I raced to a certain spot on the field. Shelgon stealthily took up a position.

"Bring it on!" I shouted, raising a hand toward and challenging the bloodthirsty Pokemon.

Rampardos opened its mouth and bellowed at me, causing the ground to shake with the force of its roar. I stayed still, allowing everything to shake around me, waiting for Rampardos to begin to charge. Rampardos's foot scratched the ground and it took off toward me.

I waited, and then. "Now!" I called, diving to one side and tucking into a controlled roll. Shelgon fired Dragon Pulse as I rolled over and crouched on one knee beside him, one of my palms on the floor. Shelgon and I watched together as his move his the cracked stone of the roof and brought down a massive chunk of it onto the charging Rampardos.

The huge Pokemon struggled for a few moments, but it couldn't get free.

"Rampardos is defeated," I said, "Shelgon is the victor." It wasn't that hard to pretend to be a referee, I had seen Evelyn do it enough for my Gym Battles.

Shelgon turned to me, pure happiness in his eyes, and I smiled widely in response. "Great job, buddy!" I said, excited for him, glad that he had finally won. I hugged him and he closed his eyes in happiness, making a contented purr.

"And it looks like the Shelgon wins!" called Chandler. "Get the next Pokemon ready!"

"Let's go," I said to Shelgon, "Let's bring this whole place down."

This place was disgusting. I was going to destroy it, to stop what they were doing to Rampardos, to Herdier, to Furfrou, to that room of Pokemon locked in cages, what they had done to Bagon. And honestly, ever since what happened to Dominic, I had been angry enough to destroy something.

Shelgon and I moved in perfect unison. He blasted away at the area of the wall that Rampardos had smashed, creating stairs for us to get out of here. The punks in the crowd backed up as Shelgon threatened them with Fire Fang.

I gestured to the pit as an afterthought, and Shelgon fired Dragon Pulse at the chunk of stone that had fallen on Rampardos, destroying it. None of this was Rampardos's fault. My eyes scanned the crowd for the person who was responsible, and finally found him.

"Get him, guys!" ordered Chandler. The two muscular men stopped getting the second Pokemon ready and rushed out here with prods, approaching Shelgon and me menacingly. Chandler used our distraction to slip away into the crowd, who were now forming a wide ring around me, Shelgon, and Chandler's thugs, like we were their new entertainment.

One thug ran at Shelgon, who countered with a Headbutt and slammed the man back into the crowd. The other thug was distracted by Shelgon's move, and I used that chance to trip him and knock him into the pit.

"Shelgon!" I called, looking over to see my Pokemon biting down on the metal prod while using Fire Fang, bending and melting the metal. They probably had used those prods on him as a Bagon, so I had no doubt that it was satisfying for him to destroy them.

"Let's go," I called, gesturing toward the room the Pokemon were held in. Shelgon and I took off sprinting, and the crowd parted to let us through.

Chandler must have figured out what we were planning, because he shouted, "No! Somebody stop them! I have 500,000 for the person who brings them down!"

Well, he figured out a way to use all that money he had collected from bets, and now we would have an army of greedy punks bearing down on us. I wanted to call out some of my other Pokemon, but I just didn't have the time.

"Hold them off," I told Shelgon while I rushed into the room where the Pokemon were kept. He remained at the threshold, watching a group of punks call out their Pokemon in an attempt to bring him down. He filled his mouth with flame and prepared for a fight.

I scanned the room. It was huge. Part of it was taken up with cages, small, steel contraptions, where the Pokemon were more or less crammed inside, either fighting to escape or sleeping in resignation. I noticed Herdier and Furfrou, both unconscious from the beating Chandler's thugs had given them. Furfrou's jaw was still torn and bleeding, and dark red was staining its white fur. Another part of the room contained cardboard crates full of Pokeballs. I wasn't sure if those contained more Pokemon that Chandler had collected for his sick games or were empty. In another part of the room, there were two boxes of needles and a few tanks of the liquid form of Solfanaria. Three prods were lined up against a back wall.

Where was it? I looked around for a few more seconds, knowing that time was running out and Shelgon couldn't hold them all off alone. Finally, I saw it: a key, peeking out from underneath a cardboard crate. I grabbed it off the ground and fumbled with it, unlocking the crates of Pokemon as I passed. I looked back to see them rushing out, turning the one-Pokemon war Shelgon was fighting into total chaos. In no time, I had freed them, and I turned my attention back to finding Chandler.

I ran outside to see Shelgon battling some punk with a Bisharp. I was about to call Fire Fang when Shelgon did it anyway, knocking out his opponent. I scanned the crowd and recognized Chandler.

I called out to Shelgon and pointed out which way I wanted to go. We battled through the crowd without much trouble, only stopped momentarily by some woman who had given Solfanaria to her Arbok. I was able to divert Arbok's attention to another punk, and refocus the misplaced aggressiveness the drug had given it. In no time, we had broken through the crowd.

I went over to Chandler, whose eyes were panicking, while Shelgon turned around to deal with the Garbodor some punk had sent after us.

"You!" I shouted, closing in on him, forcing him up against the fence at the edge of the pit.

"You." He tried to be calm when he answered, but his voice was trembling. I pressed closer to him, grabbing the sleeves of his shirt. "Do you really think you can stop all of us? Come on, you're a nobody. I could smell the stench of desperation off of you back at Cyllage City? There's no way some guy like you and a useless, reject Pokemon can bring down all of us."

He seemed to gain confidence as he spoke, and was then pushing back, driving me away. However, I thought of Shelgon and charged at him again, pushing him back toward the fence. I pressed him up against the metal railing, threatening to drop him over the side.

Fear was now clearly in his eyes. "Come on, don't do this. I'll give you money. I have some right now, just take it!" I ignored his begging and the fistfuls of money he shoved in my face, focusing only on all the scars, all the pain, all the blood he had caused.

"Go to hell," I said, throwing him over the side.

He landed on the ground below, catching the eye of the Rampardos that had just gotten up. Rampardos bellowed angrily and charged at him. His scream was cut short by an awful sound like a watermelon exploding as the titanic Pokemon's foot came down on his head, and the walls of the grey pit were splattered with red.

I almost vomited at the sight. I turned back around to see Shelgon finishing off Garbodor.

"Let's get out of here," I said, and my first Pokemon nodded.

We pushed our way back through the crowd, finally getting out of the central room to the place where the man was making a new batch of the drug. He noticed Shelgon and I enter, and immediately stopped measuring out the dosage of drugs to put in his pills. He fled in a second, and we ran through the room after him.

A stray move hit a vat of proto-drug, and it exploded, spraying onto a few punks who collapsed in agony.

"Stop chasing us!" I yelled, fighting to be heard over the sounds of the chaos, "The guy who was gonna pay you is dead!"

The punks didn't seem to care.

A few of the scarred Pokemon who I had freed pushed past me and bolted for the exit.

A few punks cornered Shelgon and me, forcing us back up against a wall. One punk's Liepard attacked, and Shelgon countered with Dragon Pulse.

While he was in the middle of using Dragon Pulse, a stray move hit the tank behind him. I didn't even think, I just moved, shielding him with my body as the proto-drug burst forth. He was in the middle of a move, unable to use Protect, and I leapt over to behind him and shielded him.

He turned around and saw me, soaking wet, his eyes going wide in concern. I wondered for a second why the world seemed so far away before the ground slammed into my face and I began spasming in pain, my ears burning because of an awful scream. I realized a second later that the scream was mine.

I saw Shelgon's eyes narrow. He started to glow in outrage, and his shell may have begun to peel off, though I was in too much pain to tell for sure. I saw a red, crescent-shaped wing unfold as I began to claw at my skin, wanting to rip the agony off. All of Shelgon's opponents were suddenly blown aside with an unfamiliar scream as the world went dark.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: And there it is. The truth about how Wes got Bagon. What do you think? Review please. Come on, I've given you like 80,000 words, you can give me 20. <strong>


	26. Chapter 26: Recovery

Chapter 26

* * *

><p>I woke up in a soft, white bed.<p>

I could see a chair, a table, a window. I shifted to get a better view of the person who was sitting in the chair, but I instantly regretted it. This had to be the worst bed I had ever slept in. The sheets felt like sandpaper on my back. I grunted in pain.

"He's awake!" called Evelyn, who was sitting in the chair, "Wes. Um… How are you? What happened?"

"I-," I began, but stopped. I didn't know what to tell her. Suddenly, the memory came flooding back: Chandler, Shelgon, the pit, the scars, the bursting vat of proto-drug…

Evelyn noticed the expression on my face and changed the subject. "Don't worry about it now. Just rest. I got something for you."

She pointed to the table, where a basket piled high with Sitrus berries rested. I smiled, and reached out to take one, noticing how uncomfortable the sheets were once again as my arm moved.

"Where are my Pokemon?" I asked, suddenly realizing that I was in a hospital gown and my cargo pants with my Pokeballs were nowhere to be seen.

"All of your stuff is in your bag, and Salamence is at the Pokemon Center," said Evelyn quickly.

"Salamence?" I asked, but a new arrival cut me off.

A woman in a white coat walked into the room. She was clearly a doctor. I sighed and recognized where I was: the Laverre City Hospital. I had already been here to get my shoulder treated after Aliana had thrown a knife into it in the swamp, and I wasn't happy about being back.

"I'm Dr. Sharp. I would say it was nice to meet you, but it's never nice to wake up in a hospital, is it?"

I nodded, agreeing with her completely. "I'm Wes."

"Yes, your friend told me. She had quite the interesting story. Anyway, I was able to flush most of the acid off of your back and neutralize the rest."

She paused for a second and gestured for me to get up.

"I don't need to remind you how lucky you are. Not only was the acid treated in time, it was weak. You shouldn't have any permanent burn scars, and you may be able to leave here in a day or two, though it will remain painful and sensitive for a while."

I looked in the mirror and saw my back, bandaged heavily.

"This was a very strange acid. I examined it chemically. It doesn't cause much damage, but it does cause incredible pain because it specifically targets the nervous system. Like a drug. I'd like for you to explain how this injury happened."

The vat of proto-drug was an acid, so that disgusting drug Solfanaria was literally made out of acid. It made sense, I guess.

I began to tell the story of how I had been injured, leaving out most of the disgusting details, my fight in the pit, and Chandler. It just didn't feel right for me to tell the whole story to a stranger like Dr. Sharp. It was just too personal.

I told the doctor and Evelyn that I had been exploring Brun Way when I came across a ruined building. While I investigated it, I had discovered a gang running a drug operation, who attacked me. In the ensuing fight, I had been injured.

The doctor nodded. "Thank you for telling me. It doesn't actually have anything to do with your treatment, but I've never seen any substance like that drug before, so you helped my curiosity. Relax and rest and take your pain medication, and you may be ready to leave soon."

As soon as the doctor left, I asked the question that had been on my mind.

"Salamence?"

"Shelgon evolved," Evelyn informed me with a smile, "He was carrying you and flying back toward Laverre City when I saw him. I followed you two on the ground and got you to the hospital and him to the Pokemon Center."

"Is he okay?" I asked, wondering what my Pokemon looked like now. I had blacked out before I could see him evolve.

"Well, he was hurt, but it's nothing the Nurse at the Pokemon Center can't fix," said Evelyn. I wanted to go check on him right away, but I needed to rest. Besides, he would be fine at the Pokemon Center. I spotted my bag dumped unceremoniously in one corner of the room, where Evelyn assured me the rest of my Pokemon were. I grabbed a Sitrus berry and felt the growing pain of my back lessen.

"Take your pain meds," said Evelyn, pointing to the pills on the table, "And tell me what really happened in there."

So she could tell that I hadn't told the whole story. I shrugged and swallowed my pills before continuing to eat the Sitrus berry. Evelyn glared impatient daggers at me, and I told her what had happened when I finished the bland berry.

I told her what had happened, skipping over only what had happened to Chandler at the end. His death hadn't really been my fault, and he definitely deserved it, but still, I had pushed him into the pit, and I felt uncomfortably responsible. I just told Evelyn that I had lost him in all the chaos and I had no idea what had happened to him.

Evelyn looked thoroughly disgusted by the end of my story. "I can't believe people would do that to Pokemon," she said, "You know what that man deserves? Somebody should make him fight in that pit so he can see exactly what he's doing to those Pokemon."

I nodded and soon I had fallen asleep, exhausted by the pain meds.

Sometime later, I woke up again and noticed that Evelyn had left. The beautiful colors of the sunset were soaking through the transparent white curtain at the window that fluttered in the slight breeze provided by the air conditioner.

"It's time to change your bandages and wash your wounds," Dr. Sharp's voice informed me.

She carefully removed my bandages, but my back was tender and it was painful anyway. She gently washed my back and put some chemical onto it. I looked into mirror hanging beside my bed to see that my back, while inflamed in various colors of red and swollen, didn't look that bad. She then redressed my wounds, going slowly and teaching me how to do it myself.

When she finished, I took another dose of pain meds and fell asleep for the night. I didn't have my nightmare that night.

I slept through most of the next day. Evelyn came and visited me occasionally, telling me about how her training with Valerie was going. The whole time, I was anxious to go and see Salamence. A Nurse had to walk in and stop me when I sent out Charizard and Goomy in my room, and after some protesting I eventually returned the two of them.

Dr. Sharp came in every so often and checked my progress. She remarked on how quickly my back was healing, and wondered out loud if it could be because of all the Sitrus berries I was eating.

When I finished the basket of Sitrus berries, Evelyn refilled it. That was definitely the best thing about Laverre City, in my opinion. Other than the Sitrus berry tree, the place held bad memories for me.

I slept one more night at the hospital.

The next morning, Dr. Sharp told me that I could be discharged as long as I took my pain medication at the prescribed times and changed the bandages on back every so often. I jumped at the chance to get out of here and go see Salamence, and agreed readily to what she said. Finally, having changed back into my own clothes and with a bag full of bandages and pain meds, I walked out of the Hospital, remembering when I had done the same thing in Ambrette Town. Fortunately, my backpack hid the bulge of bandages on my back.

I sent out all my Pokemon, who looked incredibly relieved to see me again. I had to ward the five of them away from my back. Goomy in particular apologized a lot when he jumped onto my shoulder like usual and brushed the acid burns on my back. Dr. Sharp may had said they were minor, but they still hurt enough to make me shout at my Pokemon's slight touch.

My Pokemon and I crossed Laverre City in a convoy and arrived at the Pokemon Center. The six of us walked inside and were greeted by the familiar face of Nurse Charity.

"You," she said, "That Salamence is yours, right? Come this way."

I walked into one of the back rooms of the Pokemon Center. Goomy and I instinctually looked in the direction of the room he had been recovering in for so long, but Nurse Charity took us a different way.

"Here he is," she said.

She gestured to a magnificent blue Pokemon, who looked up at me and smiled. I recognized his eyes, only, something was- different about them.

Of course, his whole body, except for some white plates on his underbelly, was completely different, but there was something about his eyes in particular. His body was the same blue it had been while he was a Bagon, and his neck, tail, torso, and four legs glistened with the same smooth scales as before. He also had red marking now, two above his eyes that made him look heroic and some on the undersides of his leg and his tail. Two crescent-shaped, crimson wings now marked his back.

I finally figured out what was different about his eyes. His left eye no longer had a scar. His skin had rejuvenated during his metamorphosis. Actually, it seemed to fit perfectly that his scar was gone now after what he had just been through.

"He has some small acid burns on his legs," said Nurse Charity, "They seem most consistent with him picking something up off a floor that was covered in acid. Good news though, the acid's really weak and he's almost completely healed now."

I looked at the bandages on his legs and got annoyed for a second, worrying that I hadn't shielded him completely, but then realized what had happened. He had been burned while he was picking me up to carry me out. We had both been hurt protecting each other.

"Thank you," I said. He nodded, having picked the expression up from traveling with me. He knew what I was thanking him for.

"You and your Pokemon seem to get hurt all the time," said Nurse Charity, "I don't even know how this happened, but I'm betting it was something dramatic and awful like getting into a battle in the swamp against terrorists."

I wondered for a second just how bad it was that the Nurse knew me individually.

"Actually, I want to get to know you and your Pokemon," she said, "You remind me of…" She touched the jewel on her earring. I remembered that it was how she triggered Mega Evolution. "Let's have a battle."

I looked at her in surprise.

"That is the best way to get to know a trainer and their Pokemon," she said, "Let's each use three Pokemon, and your Salamence needs time to rest, so don't battle with him."

I shrugged and then agreed to the battle.

* * *

><p>We faced off in front of the Pokemon Center. Evelyn was now with us, having been on her way to visit me at the Hospital when she saw me. She was going to be the referee. Honestly, there wasn't much to that job, so I wasn't sure why Evelyn enjoyed doing it so much.<p>

"The battle between Pokemon Trainer Wes and Nurse Charity is about to begin!" she announced, "The battle will be three on three with no other restrictions. Begin!"

"Flygon, showtime!"

"Carbink!"

Charity's first Pokemon appeared, the crystals in its body glinting in the afternoon sunlight, its eyes peeking out from behind one ridge of fur on its rock body. It was a Fairy type, so my Flygon would be at a disadvantage, but it was also a Rock type.

"Earth Power!" I called, trying to end the battle quickly before it could use a Fairy move. Flygon whipped her wings and cried out, adding her voice to the strange humming noise of her wings that sounded almost like singing as she began to make the earth erupt under Carbink.

"Dodge it!" called Charity, "Flash!"

Carbink emitted a dazzling light from the gems embedded in its body. Flygon and I both jerked back at the move. A few seconds later, my vision cleared, but Flygon was on the ground holding her eyes in pain.

"The red covers on a Flygon's eyes shield them from sand," explained the Nurse, "They also refract and intensify light to allow the Pokemon to detect movement even in thick, low-light sandstorms. That's a good thing in the desert, but it leaves the Pokemon vulnerable to bright flashes."

"Flygon!" I shouted, "Are you okay?" I realized that all of Charity's knowledge about Pokemon anatomy would make her a very difficult opponent.

"Rock Polish!" called Charity.

Carbink launched into a high-speed spin, glistening with light and spinning faster by the second.

"Rock Slide!" I called, "Don't open your eyes, just target the space in front of you."

Flygon used the move and it connected, showering the Carbink in falling rocks.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Nurse Charity shouted.

Flygon looked up, its eyes cleared, just in time to get hit by another wall of light. Flygon moaned and thrashed on the ground, with the move obviously having done major damage. I made a noise in frustration: not only was this a Fairy move, it would also blind Flygon again.

"Superpower!" I called, but it was useless. Flygon couldn't see, and just flailed around helplessly.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Charity and her relentless Carbink knocked Flygon out with a second move, and I returned my Pokemon.

"Carbink is the victor," refereed Evelyn, "Flygon is unable to battle."

"Fraxure, let's finish this!" I called, throwing my second Pokeball.

Fraxure looked at Carbink dismissively.

"Don't underestimate it!" I warned, "It just took down Flygon. Dragon Dance!"

"Smack Down!" called Charity. I wondered for a second why she didn't use Dazzling Gleam.

The rock that Carbink blasted at Fraxure only lightly grazed my Pokemon, but still somehow knocked her over.

"What?" I asked.

Charity smiled. She clearly knew something.

"Slash!" I called. All of Fraxure's moves wouldn't be effective on a Pokemon that was both Rock and Fairy type, but I hoped that with the earlier damage Carbink had taken and the boost from Dragon Dance she would be able to finish it off.

Fraxure slashed Carbink, knocking it out.

"Carbink is defeated," decided Evelyn, "Fraxure wins this round."

"Ouch," said Charity, "A critical hit. Well, Gligar! Your turn!"

Her Pokemon appeared and floated in midair, clicking its lavender pincers.

"Dual Chop!" I called, "Burn it!"

Fraxure smirked and lit her claws on fire. She rushed at Charity's Pokemon, ready to deliver her signature move.

"Stop it!" called Charity, "Bulldoze!"

The opposing Gligar landed, touching its wings to the earth and stabbing the ground with its tale. Waves of force radiated outward, knocking my Fraxure over.

"Great job, Gligar," praised Charity as Fraxure slowly struggled back to her feet, "You see, a Fraxure's heavy tusks hinder its balance, especially if they're slightly asymmetrical like yours. By the way, Fraxure's tusks don't regenerate, and that's why they instinctually sharpen them often."

I looked at my Fraxure again. It was just as the Nurse had said: her tusks were asymmetrical, with her left tusk being slightly longer, while her right tusk had multiple chipped areas. I really hadn't noticed before.

"Dragon Dance!" I called again. I didn't want Fraxure to be moving slow because of the Bulldoze, and I knew Dragon Dance made her move faster.

"Screech!"

Gligar followed Charity's command, making a horrible noise like a metal shovel being dragged across a chalkboard. The streams of energy from Fraxure's Dragon Dance had barely cleared before she had to cover her ears under the assault of sound.

"Act now!" urged Charity, "Acrobatics! Hit the left side!"

There was no way I was letting her knock Fraxure over again. It was getting ridiculously and making Fraxure incredibly angry.

"Block with Dual Chop!" I called, "Burn it!"

Fraxure relished the opportunity to defeat Gligar, getting revenge for the embarrassing way she had been knocked around.

"Fraxure wins this round," announced Evelyn, "Gligar is unable to battle."

"Excellent work, Gligar," said Charity, "It's time for my last Pokemon. Go, Audino!"

Charity's Audino appeared, wearing the tiara that held its Mega Stone.

"Let's begin," she said calmly, closing her eyes and touching her earring. Audino responded by putting a gentle hand on the stone in it tiara and closed its eyes as well. The two of them became shrouded in a burning cocoon of energy, and Charity's pink hair billowed in the current of force.

Audino called high in its clear voice, its body taller, its eyes burning red with the energy from its Mega Evolution.

"Dual Chop! Burn it!"

Fraxure rushed at the Audino and delivered two blows. However, the force seemed to evaporate as she struck, and Audino took no damage at all.

I sighed and face palmed. Don't tell me…

"When Audino Mega Evolves, it gains Fairy typing," said Charity, confirming what I had thought. She wasted no time in calling a move of her own. "Dazzling Gleam!"

Fraxure fainted, and I returned her sadly. My hand hovered over Ampharos's Pokeball for a second, but then I remembered that he gained a weakness to Fairy moves when we Mega Evolved, so I sent out Charizard instead.

"Final round!" announced Evelyn, "Charizard versus Audino!"

"Showtime!" I called, and Charizard blew a stream of liquid fire at the sky.

I was about to throw the Charizardite to my Pokemon when Charity called another move. "Thunder!"

"What?" I asked, as the enormous blast of lightning arced from the sky, "Dodge it!"

Charizard managed to get out of the way at the last second as the thunderbolt slammed into the ground with terrifying speed. I threw her the Mega Stone and clutched the keystone in my hand. We Mega Evolved and the sun burned brighter above us.

"Flame Burst!" I called, and Charizard blew a massive blast of fire at Audino.

"Thunder!" countered Charity, and another huge bolt of lightning dove from the clear sky and impacted into my Pokemon with an earsplitting clap.

A second later, Audino and Charizard both doubled over and fainted.

"The match is over!" called Evelyn, "It's a draw!"

I returned Charizard and pocketed her Mega Stone, wincing at the pain it caused my back. I looked up at the clock, noticing that it was time, so I took another dose of pain meds. The instructions Charity had given me for Salamence's treatment were almost the same as the ones Dr. Sharp had given me, so I sent out Salamence, giving him some meds as well. Nurse Charity gave me an approving nod, smiling because I was taking care of my Pokemon and following her instructions.

"Excellent," said Charity, returning Audino and collecting its Mega Stone. "You remind me of me. When I was a Pokemon Trainer, I traveled around, helping people wherever I went, and got hurt all the time. It was all Audino could do to keep me in one piece."

She laughed softly and then continued, "I eventually became a Pokemon Center Nurse because I thought it would allow me to help more people and Pokemon, but I may have been wrong. Thank you for the wonderful battle. It's time for us to go to a Pokemon Center, right?"

She smiled at that and led us back to her Pokemon Center, where she quickly restored both her Pokemon and mine.

Evelyn and I said goodbye to her, and she wished us a great journey.

Evelyn suggested that since we had already travelled almost the entirety of Brun Way, we could just use Fly and skip the extra day and a half of walking. We sent out Charizard and Tropius, and I sent out Salamence as an afterthought, asking him if he was okay to fly with us. I guessed he was, as the burns were on his legs, and he roared his approval.

I called Caen, letting him know that we would be in Dendemille Town soon. He smiled at the news and said he would meet us there.

We rose into the air, me riding Charizard, Evelyn on Tropius, and Salamence enjoying his new ability to fly, performing graceful aerial tricks around us, finally leaving Laverre City.


	27. Chapter 27: Windmills

Chapter 27

* * *

><p>I dismounted from Charizard, shivering despite her heat, as we landed at the end of Brun way. As we had been flying, I had seen the dark clouds of a snowstorm above our destination. Although the cold felt good on my back, it felt terrible everywhere else, especially after growing up in warm Cyllage City.<p>

"How was it?" I asked Salamence as he landed beside us. My words made clouds of white steam in front of my mouth.

Salamence roared his endorsement of flying, and Charizard and I grinned, sharing in his happiness. I checked the bandages on his legs. Despite his acrobatic tricks, they had held, and I went over the wrapping pattern Charity had taught me again in my head.

Tropius landed beside me. Evelyn recalled her Pokemon and I recalled Salamence and Charizard, giving her a rest. I sent out Goomy, who could at least walk beside me if he couldn't ride on my shoulder, but he shivered, obviously not liking the cold, and I returned him.

Immediately, the huge stone structure to my left captured my attention. In the middle of a huge, interlocking stone wall with wide walkways and houses on the top, a massive windmill spun in the falling snow. Its six arms moved gracefully in the cold wind, and snow slid off of the domed roof of the circular structure it was mounted on.

"Wes! Evelyn!"

I heard the familiar sound of running footsteps before the inevitable thump as he tripped and hit the ground.

"Caen!" I called happily, rushing over to help him up. He was wearing a pure-white jacket that emphasized his tanned skin and dark hair.

"You guys made it!" he exclaimed, "You called a few days ago on Brun Way and then I didn't hear from you for a while. What happened?"

I looked at Evelyn, who was shivering miserably. We both decided that it was a story for another time.

"All right, I'm gonna show you my house and the cavern, but first," said Caen, "I challenge you to a battle, rival!"

"Okay," I said. I had a few new evolutions to show him.

"Actually, first things first," interjected Evelyn, "I'm shivering over here."

Caen noticed how cold we were and apologized, leading us to a small store where we could buy winter clothes.

Evelyn bought a lime green windbreaker, a sweater to wear underneath, and a black scarf, as well as a pair of winter pants, as Caen assured us that it would get colder. I bought a navy jacket with orange accents. I made sure that it had a lot of pockets, so that I could keep all my Pokeballs in it when I put on the pocketless pair of heavy pants I bought. I slipped the jacket on, relishing the extra layer of cushioning it provided between my burned back and my shifting backpack.

After we stopped shivering, Caen led us across a bridge and past the town's Pokemon Center to a small dirt path on the outskirts of town beside a patch of farmland that a lonely woman was diligently tilling. We agreed on a six on six battle, and Evelyn volunteered to be referee.

"Are you ready, Wes?" asked Caen, clutching a Pokeball.

"Bring it on!" I dared, reaching for the pockets in my pants that weren't there anymore. I found Flygon's Pokeball in my jacket pocket and got ready to throw it, expecting him to lead with the same Pokemon he had last time.

"Let the battle begin!" declared Evelyn, sweeping her left arm down.

"Go, Galvantula!"

"Flygon, showtime!"

I had predicted correctly. Caen's Bug Pokemon clicked its mandibles at me, the blue parts on its body glowing brightly with electricity, even in the falling snow.

"Sticky Web!" Caen called, wanting to set up the same field hazard that he had created in Lumiose. However, I didn't let him.

"Rock Slide!"

Flygon roared and beat her wings, making the eerie sound as rocks began to crash around Galvantula.

"Stop your move!" called Caen, "Dodge it!"

Galvantula regretfully stopped spinning its electrified Sticky Web and dashed around in a frantic attempt to avoid Flygon's move. Rocks crashed to the ground, raising plumes of snow as they impacted. Flygon growled with frustration as the Bug Pokemon avoided her move completely.

"Energy Ball!" shouted Caen.

"Hit it back!" I said, "Dragon Tail!"

Flygon's tail burned emerald as she smashed back the orb of energy, where it detonated on Galvantula. I needed to train Flygon so that she could get the most out of her Dragon Tail and use it like Evelyn had said: apparently, if trained properly, the move could return an opponent's Pokemon to their Pokeball.

Caen looked worried, and I smirked at his concern. Back in Lumiose, Galvantula had scored an easy victory against Vibrava. However, now that she had evolved the battle was going differently.

"Get out of there!" he shouted, "U-turn!"

Galvantula rushed at Flygon at high speeds, buzzing with damp energy. Caen returned Galvantula- or maybe Galvantula returned itself- and then Caen sent out a different Pokemon.

"Zweilous, get 'em!" Caen tripped but managed to catch his balance as he threw his next Pokeball.

His next Pokemon roared, with shaggy black covering its eyes and the red markings on its underbelly standing out against its blue scales.

"Caen substitutes his Pokemon!" announced Evelyn, "Zweilous versus Flygon!"

"A Dragon Pokemon?" I asked, questioning his strategy. Dragon moves were extremely effective against Dragon Pokemon, and I knew that Flygon and Zweilous could knock each other out in seconds.

"Yeah!" agreed Caen with a smile, "I caught him in Victory Road because he reminded me of you."

"Victory Road?" I asked. I had heard Victory Road was the final test of trainers with all eight badges before the Pokemon League, but I didn't know exactly what it was. "What's that place like?"

"I'll tell you after the battle. It's awesome! Zweilous, use Hone Claws!"

Zweilous raised its two heads, roaring at the sky, while its claws began to shine brightly and visibly grow sharper.

"Dragon Tail!" I called, knowing that the highly effective move would be my best bet for massive damage.

"Protect!" called Caen.

Zweilous created an energy barrier that looked very similar to Shelgon's except that it was tinted a very dark grey. Flygon's swiping blow with her tail ricocheted harmlessly off.

"Outrage!" called Caen.

A pattern of ghostly red flames seemed to spread from Zweilous, and it went from stationary to a blur of motion, kicking, slashing, screaming, rushing at Flygon. Flygon moaned under the onslaught and quickly fainted.

"Good battle," I said to my defeated Pokemon, and returned her.

"Nice work, Zweilous," said Caen, returning his Pokemon as well and saving it for later, "Go, Rhyperior!"

"Goomy, showtime!" I called, planning on using a move he knew.

Goomy appeared and shivered for a second before staring up at the massive form of Rhyperior.

"You can do it!" I encouraged, and Goomy put on a confident face at my words.

"Goomy versus Rhyperior! Begin!" called Evelyn.

"Drill Run!" called Caen.

The opposing Pokemon began to spin the horn on its forehead like a drill and rushed straight at Goomy.

"Block it! Dragonbreath!" I countered, not wanting the move to hit.

Goomy opened its mouth and blasted a stream of crimson plasma into Rhyperior's massive form, but the Rock Pokemon didn't even slow down.

"The eyes!" I called, knowing that it was maybe a cheap shot to attack the opposing Pokemon's vision, but I really didn't want Goomy to take this nasty-looking move. Not after what had happened with Druddigon.

Rhyperior screamed in panic as the stream of plasma traced across its face and stopped in its tracks, opening its eyes and looking upward so that the snow could soothe the damage.

"Muddy Water!" I called, hoping to take advantage of Rhyperior's weakness.

Goomy raised a massive wave of brown-murk water and sent it at Rhyperior. The water began to freeze at the edges in the cold temperature. Caen and Evelyn scrambled up onto the nearby fence to avoid the move, and Rhyperior fainted.

Caen struggled to return Rhyperior while balancing on the fence, and eventually just fell face-first into the now-damp ground while fumbling with a Pokeball. He got up, stains on his muddy jacket. "Go, Shiftry."

I noticed something. "Hey, you're not saying 'I summon' anymore."

"Yeah," agreed Caen, looking down at the ground sheepishly, "Um, that's a good thing, right?"

"Sure," I said, more focused on the battle than whatever Caen said when he was sending out his Pokemon, "Goomy, return. Great job, buddy!"

Goomy smiled and made a happy noise, racing around to jump on a bench behind me.

"Fraxure, let's go!"

"Fraxure versus Shiftry!" announced Evelyn, "Begin!"

Caen's Shiftry appeared, giving me one of the most malevolent glares I've ever seen. It rustled the leafy fans on its arms, and I remembered the disturbing mind swap it had caused last time.

"You aren't gonna use Extrasensory again, are you?" I asked. Caen pointedly ignored me, and I called a move out to Fraxure. "Dragon Dance!"

Fraxure began to roar and summon the bands of swirling, red and black energy, but Caen and Shiftry cut her move short.

"Taunt!" commanded Caen.

Shiftry's silhouette, outlined in a creepy mix of black and green, seemed to enlarge, and surreally mocked Fraxure, making her lose focus. The Dragon Dance failed. I breathed out. Caen was doing that thing again, where he disturbed the timing between me and my Pokemon. This wasn't good. He usually won when he did this.

"Dual Chop! Burn it!"

Fraxure lit her hands on fire. They glowed like two royally colored, purple beacons in the falling snow.

"Avoid it!" called Caen.

Shiftry moved rapidly, blowing like the wind from one corner of the impromptu battlefield to the other, leaving behind only a creepy leer in its wake. Fraxure roared in frustration as her move impacted on nothing.

"Again!" I shouted, "Dual Chop!"

"Shut it down," said Caen, tripping while he pointed at Fraxure, "Use Torment!"

I didn't even see what Shiftry did this time, but Fraxure's move failed and she bellowed in pure rage.

"Leaf Storm!" called Caen.

Grass moves weren't very effective on Dragon Pokemon, but this one was really powerful and a hurricane of leaves and falling snow ensnared Fraxure. It seemed to do major damage to her, and she was gasping for breath by the end of it.

The battle continued that way, with Caen shutting down everything Fraxure and I tried to do while Shiftry chipped away at her health with Leaf Storm. Eventually, she slumped over in defeat.

"No!" I called uselessly. That had been a very frustrating battle. "Return, Fraxure. Take care of this, Charizard!"

"Great job, Shiftry," Caen looked at me and smiled, "I summon Gothitelle! I developed this strategy especially for you, Wes."

Well, he had said "I summon" again, but more importantly, I wanted to see what strategy he was planning. Last time, Charizard and I had won the battle by discovering how to Mega Evolve. I decided to do that right from the start this time.

"Charizard versus Gothitelle! Begin!"

"Charizard!" I called, "Let's go!"

"Get, ready, Gothitelle," said Caen quietly. His Pokemon looked back at him, the night-black sensors on its head waving.

I closed my hands around the keystone as Charizard caught the Mega Stone. I closed my eyes and felt the cocoon of energy swirl around me, its electric heat a contrast against the frigid air.

_Let's win this, Charizard._

_Wes, I-_

Suddenly, my eyes snapped open and the sheath of energy that connected me to Charizard detonated with a loud clap, scattering shreds of energy everywhere, knocking the snow away in the wave of pure force that it generated.

I looked around to see Caen's Pokemon holding out its hands towards me, palms outstretched, and concentrating, maintaining some psychic structure that it had created around Charizard and me. Charizard's Mega Stone snapped back into existence and fell to the ground in front of her.

"Welcome to Magic Room," explained Caen with a smirk, "Gothitelle, Telekinesis!"

Gothitelle's eyes snapped open and burned green as it flung Charizard unceremoniously into the air. Charizard struggled to move, to fly, but couldn't.

"Great work." Gothitelle nodded at Caen's compliment. "Return. Go, Clawitzer!"

"Caen substitutes his Pokemon! Charizard versus Clawitzer!" called Evelyn.

"Use Fly!" I called to my struggling Pokemon, "Break free!"

Charizard struggled to move, but she only spun helplessly, trapped in that spot by Gothitelle's powerful attack. Even though Caen had recalled his Psychic Pokemon, the move still stayed in play, and I could still faintly see the outline of the magic room, its sides decorated with glyphs and patterns that flickered in and out of visibility.

"Charizard versus Clawitzer. Begin!" Evelyn shouted from the sidelines.

"Let's try this again," said Caen, no doubt referring back to our battle in Lumiose City, "Water Pulse!"

"Dodge it!" I called uselessly, watching as Clawitzer's huge pincer smoked with power.

Charizard bellowed, struggling in midair, trying to put on a brave face as the destructive blast of water hit her.

"Again!" shouted Caen.

I watched helplessly, calling useless moves, as my Pokemon was defeated. When her eyes closed, the Telekinesis finally wore off, and she crashed to the ground with a snow-muffled thump.

"Return, Charizard," I said. "Your turn, Ampharos!"

"Ampharos versus Clawitzer! Begin!" announced Evelyn.

I threw Ampharos the Mega Stone and closed my eyes, but the Magic Room was still in effect and its transparent sides rippled with glyphs and symbols. The energy cocoon dissipated before it could gather.

"Dragon Pulse!" called Caen.

"Counter! Dragon Pulse!" I shouted.

Ampharos blasted Dragon Pulse at Clawitzer, though it wasn't as strong as it was when he used it after Mega Evolving, and the enormous burst of energy from Clawitzer's pincher blew through the move and slammed into Ampharos.

"Discharge!" I called.

Ampharos picked himself up off the ground and blasted a wall of lightning toward Clawitzer. Clawitzer recoiled, seriously damaged by the move, but didn't fall in defeat. In fact, Caen's Pokemon only looked angrier.

"Water Pulse!" he called.

Ampharos struggled against the water blasting from Clawitzer's pincher, but eventually fell. I returned him. I only had two Pokemon left, and I really wanted to save one for last, so I knew I had to send one out next, even though I doubted he could take Clawitzer.

"Goomy! Let's do it!"

"Goomy versus Clawitzer!" called Evelyn, "Begin!"

"Dragonbreath!" I called.

"Dragon Pulse!"

Clawitzer's Dragon Pulse launched my tiny Pokemon into a tree, where he fainted on impact. I winced. That had been a pointless move.

"Salamence, showtime!" I said, sending out my final Pokemon. He roared as the falling snow touched his scar-free face.

"Dragon Pulse!" called Caen.

"Protect!" I countered. I waited until the hissing energy of Clawitzer's move had burned out against Salamence's barrier, then called the same move he had. "Dragon Pulse!"

Salamence opened his mouth and roared, firing a deep blue blast into Clawitzer, the snow hissing as it melted from the power of the move. Clawitzer, already weakened, fainted before the powerful move.

"I summon Shiftry!"

"Salamence versus Shiftry! Begin!"

"Outrace it! Fire Fang!" I called, wanting to end the battle quickly before Caen could use any of his status moves on us.

Salamence flapped its wings heavily and violently kicked off the ground, speeding toward Shiftry. His mouth overflowed with globules of fire, and he bit down heavily on the Grass Pokemon, knocking it out.

"Return, Shiftry!" said Caen, "Go, Zweilous!"

"Get altitude!" I called, "Fly up!"

I had thought about teaching Salamence the literal move Fly, but Liz still had the HM that Diantha had given us back in Coumarine City. Instead, I was just telling Salamence to use his new ability to get out of the range of Zweilous's outrage. Zweilous's two heads barked and howled at Salamence, but he remained there, hovering dignified, above the battlefield.

"Dragon Pulse!" I called, hoping that he could end the battle with long-range moves, not even having to get close to the opposing Pokemon.

"Protect!" countered Caen.

"Keep it up!" I yelled, "Break their shield!"

I knew that if Salamence kept using Dragon Pulse, eventually Zweilous's Protect would fail. It had happened to me and Shelgon plenty of times.

Zweilous roared, both its heads shaking, as its Protect failed and it took the Dragon Pulse. It fainted, and Caen returned it sadly.

"Go, Gothitelle!"

"Gothitelle versus Salamence! Begin!" announced Evelyn.

"Headbutt!" I called.

"Telekinesis!" countered Caen.

Salamence was snatched backward like an invisible hand had grabbed him and was holding him in the air. He roared in protest.

"Thunderbolt!" called Caen, and Gothitelle's electric move hit the vulnerable Dragon Pokemon.

"Dragon Pulse!" I called, "Finish it!"

Salamence retaliated with Dragon Pulse, blasting Gothitelle into unconsciousness from his nice vantage point in midair. As Gothitelle closed its eyes, the Magic Room around me depressurized and exploded violently, throwing snow wildly into the air.

I wiped the snow out of my eyes and saw Salamence glide gracefully to the ground. He was free from the Telekinesis, but he was breathing heavily from fighting multiple opponents and that Thunderbolt had done some damage.

"Galvantula! I summon you!" called Caen, sending out his last Pokemon.

"Salamence versus Galvantula!" announced Evelyn, "Final round!"

"Ready, Salamence?" I asked. He nodded and cocked his head confidently.

"Bug Buzz!" called Caen.

The horrible noise filled our ears, and I saw Caen's lips moving, but I couldn't hear his command.

I called for Salamence to dodge, but he just stared at blankly, as deaf as I was. Galvantula hit him multiple times with an electrified tackle and finally defeated him, keeping the barrage of noise going the whole time.

Finally, I returned Salamence and the Bug Buzz ceased.

"Salamence is unable to battle!" ruled Evelyn, "Galvantula is the victor! Caen wins the match!"

I returned Salamence sadly. A draw and then a loss. I wasn't doing so well today. It was okay, though, Caen had eight badges and I had come really close to beating him. I would prepare to beat him and have some strategies handy for next time. Maybe I could use Flygon's Dragon Tail to knock away Gothitelle before it used Magic Room…

"Great job!" said Caen, "You're as strong as always. And you only have six badges, too." He ran over to shake my hand, but tripped and fell in the snow.

"Nice win, man," I said, helping him up, watching the snow fall off his face. I shook his hand.

"It's about time for dinner," said Caen, pointing to the setting sun, "Are you guys hungry?"

Evelyn agreed wholeheartedly.

"Yeah, we can go to my house for dinner," he told us, "My parents were so happy to have me back in town that they don't mind cooking for you guys, too. You can stay here for a few days, too."

"What's there to do here?" asked Evelyn as we walked.

"There's the Frost Cavern," Caen explained, "It's a great place to train. We're going there tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure," I said. I needed to do some training, especially with Flygon.

"Alright," agreed Evelyn, "Training against Ice Pokemon would help me cover one of Grass's weaknesses, so that sounds great."

"Grass has a lot of weaknesses," said Caen, tripping over the stair. Evelyn was about to say something, but stopped as she watched him hit the ground.

I chuckled and helped him up, "You do too."

He looked down and blushed in embarrassment. He led us up the staircase and in front of the windmill. His house was one of those on top of the stone structure in the middle of town.

His parents opened the door, both smiling. They were obviously overjoyed to have him back home, and I wondered for a second if Madame Amedee missed me.

His mom showed us to the rooms while his dad finished cooking dinner. I would be rooming with Caen, while Evelyn would be staying in the guest room. Caen, who had noticed that there was something wrong with my back, gave me the bed and said that he'd sleep on a matress on the floor.

His house was cozy, with a grey-brown wooden interior. His bed was soft and felt great on my back. I looked around his room while I lay there, noticing a half-full bookshelf, a tiny dresser, a pair of well-worn running shoes, and a badly hidden poster of an attractive model behind a picture he had obviously taken from another part of the house. He had made a decent effort to cover it up, but I could see it clearly from my angle. I smirked softly, imagining him panicking and hiding the poster before I got here.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Caen, looking both indignant and nervous.

"Nothing," I lied. His bulletin board, covered in detailed notes, had captured my attention. I saw the names of various trainers on pieces of paper, as well as notes about their Pokemon. I read the names: Siebold, Olympia, Wulfric, Wes…

"Hey," I said, "I'm up there!"

"Oh, yeah," Caen admitted, "I take notes about tough trainers during my journey so I can beat them later. I put them all up on the board when I got home yesterday."

I noticed that the Pokemon on the paper were the ones I had battled with in Lumiose City. I recognized Olympia's name, knowing that she was the Anistar City Gym Leader, but I didn't know the other two.

"Who are Wulfric and Siebold?" I asked.

"Wulfric is the leader of Snowbelle Gym," answered Evelyn, who had just walked in, "He specializes in Ice type Pokemon."

"How's the guest room?" asked Caen, "Is that window annoying? The curtains don't ever cover it."

"It's fine," answered Evelyn, sitting down on the mattress beside Caen, "I sleep like a rock anyway."

"Have you ever trained with Wulfric?" I asked. I knew that Evelyn had already done a lot of traveling around Kalos and trained with most of the Gym Leaders. I had met her when she was training with Viola, and she had trained with Korrina so much that the two were really good friends. She told me about Korrina sometimes, and I remembered that time that Korrina had been teasing her on the beach in Shalour.

"Nope," she said, looking around Caen's room like I had done, "I've never even met him. He and Olympia are the only two I don't know. Hey Wes, it says your name up there!"

"Yeah," I agreed, "That's Caen's cheat sheet for beating me." I said that last part with a jokingly pointed glare at Caen, and he just shrugged in response.

"Hey, isn't Siebold one of the Elite Four?" she asked, reading the next paper on the bulletin board.

"He is," explained Caen, "I ran into him in Lumiose City at one of the cafes, complaining about the food. He was making a huge scene, and everybody was watching. I challenged him to a battle, but he totally crushed me."

"I battled one of the Elite Four, too," I supplied, "I took on Malva. She was crushing me pretty badly too, but in the end we didn't finish."

Caen's parents announced that dinner was ready, and we all rushed down the set of stairs, hungry. Dinner was a delicious stew and salad, and during the meal we talked with Caen's parents, who both seemed really nice. I thought again about Madame Amedee, and for a second wondered if this was what my life would be like if my parents hadn't died, but I dismissed that thought in a second, because thinking it was stupid.

After dinner, Caen and Evelyn wanted to go out, but I was exhausted from the dose of pain meds I had just taken, so we stayed inside. Caen's parents freaked out a little when I sent out Salamence to give him his meds, but they relaxed when he stood still and I returned him quickly.

Caen, Evelyn, and I talked for a little more in Caen's room, but I soon fell asleep in the comfortable bed, enjoying the softness on my burned back and the sound of my friends' voices.


	28. Chapter 28: Caverns

Chapter 28

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open and I looked around Caen's room, my heart still beating quickly because of the nightmare I'd just escaped from.<p>

"Wes, are you okay?" asked Caen.

"Did I wake you up?" I asked. It was still before dawn, and I hoped I hadn't been loud during my nightmare. That would be a bad way to repay him for letting me stay at his house.

"No," said Caen, "I wake up early all the time. I usually go for a run in the morning with Galvantula."

I looked again at the pair of well-worn running shoes, then asked him if I could take a shower and change my bandages in his bathroom.

"What happened to you?" asked Caen. I realized that Evelyn and I hadn't really told him much of what had happened since he left us behind in Laverre City. I had told him that Dominic lost his Pokemon over the Holo Caster, but I hadn't gone into much detail.

I told him the whole story. I began with the Pokeball Factory, explaining more about the battle with Malva I had brought up last night. Caen was also pretty shocked that a member of the Elite Four would join a group like Flare. I talked for a second about what Aliana had done to Dominic's Pokemon, and how he had stayed in Coumarine City. I admitted that I had no idea what Liz had done after she'd stayed behind as well.

I wanted to call them and see what was going on, but I decided against it. I had no idea what it was like to lose a Pokemon, and but I knew that Dominic needed time.

Caen asked again about the burns on my back, so I told him the story of what had happened in the Lost Hotel.

"You got your first Pokemon from a drug gang?" asked Caen, completely shocked.

"Yeah," I admitted, "Remember in Lumiose City? When we all heard each other's thoughts?"

Caen nodded. The whole thing had been his Shiftry's fault.

"I heard Shelgon thinking about it, you know, what had happened to him in that ring, but I didn't put it all together," I said, "It was sick. It was seriously twisted."

I finished with the story of my back being burned and Shelgon's evolution into Salamence. Caen ran downstairs to grab a garbage bag for me to throw away my old bandages in, even though I assured him that the drug was all gone, now.

I took off my shirt and unwrapped the white, gauze-like cloth in the bathroom. Honestly, my back looked great. At this point, it just looked like a horrible rash was aggravating it, although it still hurt like a burn. The bandaging was honestly more to provide a cushion against the pain than to actually help my wounds heal. I reminded myself to change Salamence's bandages after my shower.

I had to spray the water on my head and let it run down gently, as letting the showerhead spray directly onto my back was just too painful. I finished washing myself quickly and dried off before taking fresh bandages from my bag and re-wrapping my back. I was supposed to take a dose of pain meds at around breakfast time, so I ate a Sitrus berry now for some quick relief.

Caen and I tapped on the door to the guest room and woke up Evelyn, who wanted to sleep

more. However, Caen and I wanted to get to training, so, outvoted, I heard her complain from behind the door as she got up.

Caen cooked omelets for breakfast while Evelyn and I took all of our Pokemon to the Pokemon Center for their own breakfast. We were greeted by a sleepy Nurse who briefly checked our League identification cards before waving us to the cafeteria. Caen's Pokemon didn't seem to mind eating without their trainer, and Charizard and Clawitzer got along surprisingly well, obviously rehashing yesterday's battle with gestures and noises.

When all of our Pokemon had finished eating, and I had changed Salamence's bandages and given him his dose of pain meds, we walked back to Caen's house, through the snow that was falling from the beautiful, bright gray clouds above.

He had finished making the omelets, and they smelled delicious. I took my meds while I ate. Soon, we were all ready to go.

Caen pointed to a bridge that ran from the stone structure of Dendemille town to a path surrounded by waterfalls.

"Frost Cavern is right past there," he explained.

We walked across the stone bridge, and Evelyn asked Caen about our battle yesterday while we walked.

"What was that move you used yesterday? The one that stopped Wes's Mega Evolution?"

"You said it was Magic Room, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's called Magic Room," he answered, "It makes any items that a trainer gives their Pokemon useless. It's a popular strategy in the Pokemon League tournament to give your Pokemon items during battle, and Mega Evolution works the same way, right? You give your Pokemon that stone and then they transform."

I nodded, as both of them had turned to me for the question about Mega Evolution.

"I thought it would make that stone useless, too," he finished, "And it did."

"Nice strategy," I complimented, "But I'll win next time."

We walked along a small, beaten path in the middle of the snow, fresh flurries falling all around us. Fir trees covered in white framed the gorge that was cut by the beautiful waterfalls. We crossed another bridge directly over an icy river, and Caen pointed to the rock formation ahead, a massive bulge in front of a mountain in the distance.

"Frost Cavern is inside that," he explained.

An artist challenged me to a battle along the way. He was painting the waterfall that crashed down to the river in the middle of a snowstorm, but he looked happy to take a break and battle me.

He sent out a Smeargle, and I sent out Flygon. I told her what we were training for, and figured that with enough practice and a goal in mind she would be able to figure out how to use Dragon Tail correctly.

The artist's Smeargle used Dazzling Gleam, and Flygon had to look away hurriedly so she wasn't blinded. I called a Dragon Tail, and the move hit hard, but it didn't have the desired effect. Two more Dragon Tails later, the artist recalled his defeated Smeargle and gave me the prize money.

I shared my concerns about training Flygon as we walked into Frost Cavern. Caen suggested that she practice hitting back snowballs and chunks of Ice that we threw at her, as if she trained enough to be able to use the move even while fighting the element she was weakest against then her use of the move normally would definitely be stronger.

"It's like how baseball players use heavier balls to practice throwing," he explained, "If practice is super hard, then battles seem easy."

I shrugged. It sounded good to me, and he obviously trained his Pokemon well.

We walked into Frost Cavern. It was even colder than outside, with the ice-gray walls trapping in the cold like a refrigerator. I could see both small passages and large, open areas, and wild Pokemon and other trainers were wandering around. The floor grew shiny and slick in certain places. The whole place was surprisingly bright.

A girl in a purple and grey jacket who introduced herself as an "Ace" trainer challenged Evelyn to a battle. Evelyn's Ludicolo managed to knock out the girl's Doublade, but only after a long, difficult fight. Maybe she did deserve to be called an Ace.

Evelyn collected the prize money from the girl and we kept going, deeper into the Cavern, where Caen promised us that there was a large, open space, perfect for the kind of training that Flygon needed.

The floor grew shiny up ahead, as beautiful as crystal.

"Watch out!" warned Caen, his shout making a cloud of white smoke in front of his mouth but not helping Evelyn and I at all. We both crashed to the ground clumsily.

"You do it like this," explained Caen, raising his arms and stepping on the ice, where he pushed off and skated effortlessly over to us.

"What?"

Evelyn and I both choked in shock, watching clumsy Caen glide around gracefully on the slick ice.

"Come on, get up!" he urged us, and we both got up and slipped again. Caen helped me up, and Evelyn laughed at how backwards that was. Evelyn and I finally made it across the icy patch by holding onto the walls, while Caen patiently slid around us.

He explained that he came here all the time to train, and besides, he had grown up in this cold town, so sliding on ice was easy for him.

"But… how are you better at it than walking?" demanded Evelyn.

Caen just shrugged in response. I laughed softly. He fell all the time on normal ground, but he could somehow slide around on ice like a boss.

We walked up a rock slope and through a narrow hole in the rock wall. Behind it, the cave opened up into a huge space, at least as wide and tall as the stone structure of Dendemille Town. I could see other trainers battling in different parts of the cavern.

"Ready, Wes?" asked Caen.

I sent out Flygon, telling her about the training we were about to do. "This is gonna be a little different than normal," I admitted.

Evelyn, Caen, and I crouched behind a rocky outcropping and packed together the snow and ice in our hands, the cold making my hands burn even through my gloves.

"Alright, Flygon!" shouted Evelyn, "Brace yourself!"

Flygon, who was hovering over the center of a patch of slippery ice about ten meters away from where we were bunked down, narrowed her eyes. The sound of her wings filled the Cavern with an eerie echo, like a frost mermaid's mournful singing.

Evelyn threw her first snowball at Flygon. My Pokemon tracked it with her eyes, her tail glowing emerald. She tried to smash it back, but her blow lost force as she touched the cold and winced.

"You can do it!" I encouraged. I threw one of mine, and she scrunched up her mouth and focused, flinching less than she had last time.

We took turns throwing at her, watching her slowly improve. After a half-hour, Evelyn got slightly bored and left to go battle a trainer. As she walked away, Flygon knocked one of Caen's snowballs into her back, causing her to start running frantically and fall on the ice.

She came back later, by the time Flygon was getting really good and hitting back two snowballs at the same time. Evelyn joined in again, and we barraged her with snowballs, ducking as she returned them and they hit the wall with an echoing crash. Finally, Caen called it good and we all congratulated Flygon, who looked really happy.

We were hungry by that point, so we ate the food we had brought along and I gave Flygon some Sitrus berries, although my Pokemon didn't normally eat lunch. Caen told us about how when the fog was heavy light would reflect off the ice and the waterfall outside and create amazing mirages. He had seen a few of the illusions himself.

After lunch, I challenged a guy who was apparently also an Ace trainer. He battled with a Raichu, and I sent out Flygon.

"Dragon Tail!" I called. Flygon's tail burned emerald, and this time her eyes did as well.

She slammed her segmented tail into Raichu, causing it to dissolve into green plasma and flow back into its Pokeball.

Evelyn, Caen, and I all cheered, while Flygon roared in triumph.

The Ace trainer glared at us. "He hasn't won yet, you know."

The Ace trainer had two more Pokemon, but I wore them down by switching them out and then finished them with Earth Power and Superpower. Flygon enjoyed using her new move, and stayed outside of her Pokeball when the battle was over, hitting random rocks and chunks of ice on the ground with her tail.

We kept going, exploring the cavern and battling people as we went. A really angry black belt challenged us to a battle after a rock Flygon hit with her tail went flying in his direction and cracked the icy wall he had been punching. I told him that there were other walls, gesturing all around helpfully, but he still fumed off, enraged, after the battle was over.

Caen led us deeper into the cavern, and up icy slopes, where he had to slow down to help Evelyn and me. I returned Flygon as we slipped through a crack in the cave wall that was too small for her to fit through.

We got to a room where the rock ceiling was broken, allowing the snowstorm from outside to invade the cavern. In the midst of the swirling white blizzard, two women looked up at a green and white Pokemon. I hadn't ever seen them before, but their orange armor was very familiar.

"This Abomasnow is perfect," commented the woman on the left, touching some kind of metal band that they had secured around the Pokemon's head. Her blue hair stood out in the snowstorm.

"That's correct," agreed the other woman. She had green hair and was monitoring some kind of computer, "It has a vast well of energy within. Watch as I aggravate it."

The green-haired woman pressed a button on the keyboard, and the metal band on Abomasnow's head began to crackle with flame. The Pokemon roared in pain, and the snow fell faster, extinguishing the fire.

"Its Snow Warning ability becomes more potent when it's agitated," noted the green-haired woman, "The readings are above expected levels."

"It's exactly what we need, Bryony," said the blue-haired woman, "I'll catch it." She took a Pokeball, no doubt stolen from the Pokeball Factory, out of a pocket in her armor and was preparing to throw it, when Evelyn shouted at her, startling them both.

"Stop!" she yelled, "I won't let you abuse that Pokemon!"

"Who do we have here?" asked the blue-haired woman, stowing the Pokeball away.

Both of the women turned to face us. Like Celosia and Aliana, they both wore strange glasses. The green-haired woman, Bryony, wore a large green glass shield over both of her eyes that shined with squares of green light. The blue-haired woman wore a weirdly shaped, box-like pair of goggles that shined with two blue lights.

"I recognize those two from the footage of the battle. They tried to interfere with our operation in the Pokeball Factory," explained Bryony, "I would say that there's a high probability they'll interfere with us here as well, and the third one will no doubt help them. Be ready, Mable."

"Oh, you're those kids that attacked us," said Mable, "Although I think Aliana and Malva said there were more of you."

There had been more of us, until we fought Flare at the Pokeball Factory. I was a little surprised that they talked about us, though. It wasn't like had ever managed to do more than slow them down before and there were a lot of people fighting them at the Factory. However, this time I was going to stop them. They won't hurt that Abomasnow, not like they hurt the Pokemon in the swamp. It was obvious that Evelyn shared my feelings.

"What are you even doing?" demanded Caen.

"We don't have time to explain anything to you," said Bryony flatly.

"It's okay," said Mable, "We're not on any tight schedule now. Besides, they already found the thing in Terminus Cave. I don't mind a little healthy curiosity."

"Why are you hurting that Pokemon?" asked Evelyn.

"We're just analyzing it too see if it has what we require," explained Bryony.

"Why did you attack the Pokeball Factory?" I asked, happy that someone from Flare was finally answering questions.

"To increase our power," answered Mable, "Pokeballs allow us to catch strong Pokemon, and stealing them all deprives other people from catching them, making us even stronger in comparison. I actually kind of feel bad, but we did what we had to do."

"Why?" asked Caen, "Why did you have to do? Why is Flare gathering so much power and resources?"

"The strong survive," answered Bryony simply.

I had one more question to ask, one that had plagued me for a long time. "How does Celosia know me?"

"Celosia knows you?" asked Mable, "She's never mentioned it."

"That woman mostly keeps to herself," answered Bryony, "She does little but complain about how 'lame' everything is. She's never mentioned anything about her personal life or you."

"What?" I asked. Celosia definitely knew me. If they didn't know, then she hadn't mentioned our interference in Glittering Cave or the Power Plant. She was keeping it secret for some reason.

"On another note, have you ever heard the myths of Kalos's legendary Pokemon?" asked Mable.

"Xerneas?" guessed Caen.

"Yveltal?" supplied Evelyn at the same time.

"Correct. Both of you," answered Bryony.

"One Pokemon who grants vitality, the very embodiment of life," explained Mable, "And another who spreads destruction, death incarnate. It is said that Xerneas bestows life energy onto people, Pokemon, and the plants of the natural world, while Yveltal takes it away."

Abomasnow was struggling to get away the whole time they were talking, and for the first time I noticed that its legs were caught in some kind of trap.

"According to the tales, every thousand years, these Pokemon themselves lose their vitality and go into slumber, some kind of stasis," said Mable, "However, they're somehow revived to continue the cycle."

"How?" asked Caen, completely involved in the tale.

"A third Pokemon," answered Bryony, "Something to revive them when they sleep and to balance them out when one grows too powerful. After all, life and death are a perfect cycle. The living feed on the dead, and eventually die themselves, becoming nourishment for another life. It's simple science. However, it only works if the two are kept in balance."

"Who is this third Pokemon?" asked Caen.

"It is only hinted about in fragments of legends," said Mable sadly, "But we of Flare believe it to be-"

"Stop talking at once," commanded Bryony, "That information is too sensitive to be shared, especially with people likely to get in our way. All you need to know, children, is that the world works according to certain rules. Living things are always in competition with one another. If one organism obtains resources, another loses them. For some to be healthy and happy, others must be deprived. For some to live, others must die. Mable! We've wasted enough time here! Let's catch the Pokemon and leave."

"No!" said Evelyn, "I won't let you catch Abomasnow! You're just going to abuse it!"

"Stay out of our way!" snarled Bryony.

"I know!" said Mable, "Let's have a Pokemon battle! Team up with me, Bryony. When we beat them, we can use our Pokemon to deal with them while we catch Abomasnow."

"Very well," said Bryony, "Our chances of winning do increase when we combine forces."

"Caen, Wes, you two battle them," whispered Evelyn, "Keep them distracted while I free Abomasnow."

"Let's go, my rival," said Caen. I nodded.

"I summon Galvantula!"

"Charizard, showtime!"

Bryony sent out a Bisharp, while Mable sent out a Weavile.

"Keep them focused on us," I said quietly to Caen as Evelyn began to sneak to the other side of the room, "Use moves that are as flashy as possible."

"Galvantula, Sticky Web!" called Caen.

The two women from Flare watched as Galvantula began to spin its webs, throwing them on the opposite side of the battlefield from Evelyn. The snow, falling through the open roof, landed on the webs that glittered with sparks of electricity.

"Use night slash on Charizard!" called Mable.

Her Weavile followed her instructions, and Charizard took a brutal attack.

"Perform Low Sweep!" commanded Bryony, "Target Galvantula. Goal: slow target!"

Bisharp ran over and cruelly kicked Galvantula's legs.

I winced at the ferocity of the attack, the decided to use an ultra-flashy technique.

"Charizard, let's do it!" I called, throwing her the Charizardite.

She caught it and pressed it inside her fists like I did with my keystone. We both began to burn with energy and riveted the attention of both of the women from Flare.

_We'll do it this time, Charizard. We'll stop them._

_I'll do anything you need me to, Wes._

Charizard roared, and the snow began to lessen as the sun grew brighter from above. Evelyn was working on the trap, but clearly couldn't get the freezing steel off with just her hands. She grabbed a Pokeball and gestured for me to make some noise.

"Flame Burst!" I called.

Evelyn sent out her Pokemon while the women were distracted by the super effective move that had severely damaged both of their Pokemon.

"You're more powerful than you look," mused Mable, "I wonder how much power there is inside you."

Evelyn gestured for us to make another loud noise as her Serperior appeared.

"Bug Buzz!" called Caen helpfully.

The ear-shredding noise that Caen's Bug Pokemon made was the perfect cover, and Evelyn's Serperior blasted apart the device trapping Abomasnow's legs with a Hyper Beam of pure black liquid power.

Galvantula stopped the Bug Buzz, and Caen ordered an Energy Ball while I called a Fire Fang. Evelyn sent out Tropius in the chaos, and somehow convinced Abomasnow to climb aboard with her. They flew away through the open roof in the whirling snowstorm. Abomasnow was safe.

"Ugh!" cried Bryony, "The results of this infantile contest are irrelevant. Let's retrieve the target and return to base!"

"Good luck with that," I said.

We had stopped them, and saved a Pokemon from whatever they were planning. Even though it was a small victory, it was still a victory, and I smiled, feeling the cold wind burning my face.

"Where's the girl?" asked Mable.

"The target is missing!" cried Bryony.

"You!" shrieked Mable. "You must have done this!"

"Let's make them pay!" cried Bryony, the lights on her mask racing ominously.

It was time for us to leave. "Caen, let's get out of here. Charizard, Fly!"

Charizard swooped down. Caen and I climbed aboard her graceful, Mega Evolved form, and my rival recalled his Galvantula.

Charizard's wings cut through snowstorm as we escaped from the open-roofed cave, leaving two angry, defeated orange-armored figures howling with rage beneath us.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Who could the third legendary Pokemon possibly be?<strong>


	29. Chapter 29: Subzero

Chapter 29

As Caen and I flew back to Dendemille Town aboard Charizard, the sun shone beautifully and the skies cleared. For the first time since I'd arrived, it wasn't snowing. Charizard flew much faster, as she was still Mega Evolved, and we caught up to Tropius in no time. We followed the Grass Pokemon as he landed on the ground in front of Dendemille's massive stone walls.

Evelyn and Abomasnow dismounted from Tropius, and small showers of snow swirled around the Pokemon we had just saved with its every breath.

Charizard plummeted toward the ground at high speed, pulling her elongated form up at the last second, coming to a graceful stop.

"That was crazy," said Caen, "How do you guys run into Flare so much?"

A cocoon of red energy briefly spun into existence around Charizard, returning her to normal and becoming her Mega Stone. I caught it gently as it fell out of the air.

"I don't know," said Evelyn, "Maybe we're cursed."

I shook my head, knowing exactly how she felt. "This time we saved someone." I needed to point that out, both for her and for myself. There were no innocent swamp Pokemon harmed and no people who had lost their Pokemon like Dominic this time. Everyone had come out just fine, and we had done some good. This time, I didn't feel cursed.

"Let's get back to my house," said Caen.

We stayed in Dendemille Town for the next three days. Abomasnow stayed at Caen's house with us with us for two of those days. Caen's parents were a little skeptical about having the huge Pokemon in the house, but they changed their minds after we told them what had happened to it in the Cavern. I thought Evelyn had made a close bond with it and was about to catch her seventh Pokemon, but ultimately the Grass and Ice Pokemon decided to leave and go back to Frost Cavern.

During this time, my back almost completely healed, helped along by the Sitrus Berries that I was able to keep in Caen's fridge, so I didn't have to devour them before they all went bad. Salamence's legs also healed, back to perfect health, allowing my Dragon Pokemon to finally run around freely and test out his evolved form.

Evelyn, Caen, and I went back to the Frost Cavern a few more times for training. There was no sign of the members of Flare there, and we were able to get more training done in peace.

Finally, after three relaxing days of training and hanging out with my friends, it was time to go. Caen's parents had been great, and assured us that we could stay for longer, but we had to get going. I had a badge to win, for one thing.

"It was great to meet the two of you," said Caen's dad, while his mom hugged us goodbye politely.

"Make sure you have enough preparations," said Caen's mom, "Route 17 is dangerous even if you're traveling with a Mamoswine caravan." She offered us food and more warm clothes for the travel, and Evelyn and I tried to politely refuse, but eventually we both gave in and accepted her kindness. I waved goodbye to Caen's family one last time if we left, trying to quash the questions in my own mind that were forming about how similar my life would be to this if my parents were still alive.

Caen walked with us to the route. "Route 17 is brutal. Seriously, the worst in Kalos. I think a caravan left a few days ago, but maybe you can still convince a Ranger to lend you a Mamoswine. Whoa!" Caen started to slip, but quickly found a patch of slick ice and somehow used it to slide back upright.

"What was it like for you?" I asked. We had already talked about it a little, so I knew that it was always covered in a massive snowstorm, with piles of snow and ice so huge no human could get through the route alone. I had asked if I would be better just to use Fly to get over it, but Evelyn and I had both never been to Anistar City before, so our Pokemon had no idea which way to go. Besides, the massive snow clouds in the sky either beat flying Pokemon back down to earth or forced them to reach an altitude that was too high to sustain for the whole trip.

"I crossed it with a Mamoswine caravan," Caen answered, "There were a lot of us, all riding Mamoswine. It took us about a week to get through the whole thing. They call Route 17 Mamoswine Way because everybody rides a Mamoswine across. There are usually Pokemon Rangers with Mamoswine at both sides of the route, so I think you guys can still get a ride. But seriously, use those extra clothes my mom gave you. It is way too cold there." I would definitely be keeping all of Dragon Pokemon in their Pokeballs for this route. Ampharos and even Charizard probably wouldn't enjoy it either.

Evelyn sighed and shivered, "Sounds like fun."

We walked through the brown stone gate. Dendemille Town had been freezing, so cold that every breath made a puff of white steam, but the wash of frigid air coming through the gate from Route 17 was so much colder. Both Evelyn and I immediately started shivering, and Caen promised us that it would only get worse.

Snow more or less blasted me in the face when I emerged from the gate, and I lowered the snow goggles that Caen's mom had given me onto my eyes, already grateful for her charity. When I had started my journey, the idea of taking something for free like this would have disgusted me, but I was just grateful now. Maybe I had changed more than I thought.

"It's beautiful," said Evelyn. I noticed that the ski mask she was wearing was green, and smiled. She pointed out at the Route, where dunes of gray and white spread for miles, punctuated every so often by rocky outcroppings whitewashed with snow.

"Whoa," I breathed in. I saw a small speck of orange buried in the deafeningly pure white, a small spot that may have been a campfire.

"Hey," said a Pokemon Ranger, catching sight of us as we walked down an icy hill to where he and a Mamoswine were waiting. He was wearing heavy-duty clothes, a mask, and a scarf to cover his mouth, but the shiver was still obvious in his voice. "Sorry, but you missed the caravan. We'll have another on in two weeks."

"Can we just ride with that Mamoswine?" asked Evelyn, pointing to the one who was standing by the snowy wall, seeming to have a conversation with a solitary, snow-covered tree.

"Sorry," he said, "You have to travel with the caravan so we can—Mamoswine?"

The snowy tree had shaken violently when it saw us, revealing the shape of Abomasnow, and the recognition in its eyes told me it was the same one we had saved. Abomasnow and Mamoswine had both rushed over to us, brushing by the Ranger as they went. Evelyn laughed and ruffled Abomasnow's head, greeting it warmly.

"You know them?" asked the Ranger. We explained what we had done for Abomasnow. "Oh, I see. You three are great, I say. Ranger material, even! This Abomasnow has been friends with this Mamoswine for years, ever since it saved him and carried him into town when he was severely injured. So Abomasnow saved Mamoswine, and you saved Abomasnow."

We looked up expectantly. His tone was clearly leading to something.

"Alright, I'll let you three ride this Mamoswine. It's the least we can do to pay you back for saving his friend."

Mamoswine's bellow of agreement drowned out Evelyn's explanation that there were only two of us riding, so she had to repeat it.

"Fine. Mamoswine knows the way, so just stay with him and he'll take you across the route. I wish I could go with you as a guide, but I need to be stationed here. So, I'll just give you what you need to know: You two have emergency heat sources, right? Fire Pokemon count." I nodded, thinking of Charizard. Eat well-balanced meals so that your body will naturally stay warmer, keep moving and stretching whenever you feel too lethargic during the day, and avoid exerting yourself at all if possible. Also, keep in mind wind chill. The most important thing is your safety: don't get lost, stay warm and don't get frostbite, and don't make Mamoswine exhausted. He's very enthusiastic, so you'll have to decide when to make camp for the night."

Evelyn and I nodded. He ran through it again, and we tried to memorize every tip.

"Okay. You two are ready," the Ranger decided.

We said goodbye to Caen.

"Thanks for everything, man," I said, giving him a quick hug.

"Yeah, thank you," agreed Evelyn, hugging him as well.

"I'll be doing some training around Kalos. Call me if you want," he said, "Good luck in your Gym battles, and see you at the Pokemon League."

Caen watched as we mounted Mamoswine and suspended our bags from the harness the Ranger helpfully provided.

"Stay safe," he said. We promised that we would, and waved goodbye to Caen as we started moving.

Mamoswine charged into the solid wall of snow that covered the route. His eyes and a little bit of tusks peeked out, and the part of his back that had Evelyn, me, and our stuff was completely fine, but every step was obviously a struggle against the weight of the snowdrifts.

After we had been traveling for about an hour, I turned around to the girl behind me and wiped the ice off my goggles so I could see. "How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she said, even her voice shaking. We had ridden so far in total silence, because I couldn't think of anything to say and because the cold made me sleepy.

"No, you're not," I countered. I grabbed one of the extra coats Caen's mom had given us from my bad and put it on her. Despite her protests, she obviously needed it. I looked back at the collection of warm clothes and put on a pair of gloves that soothed the burning sensation in my hands that were stinging from the biting, savagely cold air. The amount of clothes had seemed like a lot when Caen's mom gave it to me, too much when I was trying to stuff it all in my bag, and now not enough, now that I was realizing how cold it would truly be.

We kept going. It was impossible to tell what time it was because the clouds were so think with snow overhead, but I know that we traveled for hours and hours, always the same sea of white ahead of us, snow falling all around. When I started to get hungry despite the cold I told Evelyn and we decided to stop for the night and eat something.

We stopped Mamoswine, who seemed more than happy to comply, and went over to a flat place sheltered from the wind on the side of the route, where we could step down and not sink through layers of pure snow. We fed Mamoswine and ate dinner ourselves, once again grateful for the food that Caen's family had given us. It wasn't the most well-balanced meal like the Ranger had wanted, but it definitely was filling, and the feeling of being full plus the cold made me exhausted.

Mamoswine curled up on the cold, rocky ground and fell asleep. Evelyn and I wrapped ourselves up in blankets, but the cold kept us from sleeping, slapping us in the face with its freezing temperature whenever we started to feel comfortable. We tried a bunch of things, including sleeping side by side under all the blankets to stay warm. That last thing would have ordinarily been very awkward, but the layers of clothes we were bundled up in prevented it from being anything more than a way to conserve heat.

"I give up," I said, my voice quiet but still very frustrated. Evelyn's eyes slowly opened, and I could see even through her green ski mask that she hadn't been asleep.

I looked up at the snowstorm again, and finally had an idea. "I'm gonna try something," I said, standing up and hearing Evelyn exclaim as my movement hit her with a blast of cold air. "Go, Charizard!"

Charizard appeared, merciful heat radiating off of her tail. However, it wasn't enough, even for her, and she began to shiver as well.

"Charizard, trust me on this one," I said, throwing her Mega Stone to her. We both closed our eyes and Mega Evolved, the commotion waking up Mamoswine and the energy releasing beautiful warmth throughout the cave.

_Charizard, we really need you help now…_

_It's fine, Wes. I'll help you with anything. Besides, it gets me out of my Pokeball._

Charizard spread her wings and roared as the fire on her tail grew larger, heating up the cave. Evelyn smiled at me and then pointed at the sky.

"Wes, look at that!" she exclaimed, pointing up at the sky.

I followed her gesture to a patch of sky where the snowstorm was clearing up, allowing a view of the stars. Splattered pinpricks of white shone down through the black sky, filled with nebulous clouds of blue and purple. It was breathtaking.

Charizard came over to us and wrapped her wings around us, allowing us to nestle in sleeping bags underneath her wings and next to the flame on her tail, which she brought close enough to make us comfortable. She leaned against the rocky wall, put her head down on her breast, and closed her eyes, touching me with her hand almost unconsciously during sleep. I put a gloved hand on her orange, smooth-scaled one and fell asleep comfortably.

We woke up at what I thought was the next morning, but as the sky was once again completely covered in snow clouds I had no real idea. The sky was equally gray no matter what time it was. We sent out all our Pokemon and gave them breakfast, and I took my last dose of pain meds for my back. Soon I would be totally healed, but I would probably keep the bandages until we cleared this route because they were warm. Tropius, Flygon, and Salamence in particular seemed to hate the temperature, being almost unable to stand it, and the three of them finished their breakfast with insane speed so they could be returned. Of course, as Grass and Dragon Pokemon none of our Pokemon really liked the cold. Ampharos, Charizard, Ludicolo, and Ferrothorn did the best jobs of tolerating it, but they were clearly being worn down by the constant hailstorm as well.

Charizard reverted to normal and I returned all of my Pokemon while Evelyn did the same.

"Ready, Mamoswine?" she asked. The Ice Pokemon yawned loudly and made a grunt of agreement. He was the only one of us who didn't mind the weather at all.

We kept going, traveling for more hours in a world of pure white and gray, not talking much. The Pokemon Ranger's shape was gone, so we were obviously making progress. I only hoped Mamoswine was going in the right direction.

I had to stop one time, wishing desperately that there was a bathroom around, but of course there wasn't. I had to duck behind a snow dune out of sight of Evelyn and curse every second that I had to expose myself to the cold, but eventually the awkwardness was over. I really wished that these snow pants had a fly so I didn't have to pull my pants down in the cold weather.

Four more days passed like the first, and Evelyn and I didn't talk much at all. I felt both isolated and completely connected, huddling with her and Charizard for warmth at night but not having any conversation at all for most of the day. I had my nightmare a few times, but I also had nights of pure, uninterrupted sleep. Whenever Charizard Mega Evolved at night, her ability would activate, and a small patch of the snowstorm would clear, giving us a stunning view of the stars and blue and purple swirls of nebulas, free of the light pollution from cities. Wild Ice Pokemon occasionally appeared, darting in and out of the piles of snow. I spotted a Pokemon who looked like a tiny version of Abomasnow, and Evelyn told me it was a Snover when I pointed it out to her, confirming my suspicion that it did in fact evolve into Abomasnow.

On the fifth day, a small pink pinprick appeared in the distance above a vast section of blue.

"Is that the ocean?" I asked, thinking that it looked like water but too far away to exactly tell.

"It's a river!" shouted Evelyn with happiness, "Anistar City is built over a river! And that pink thing must be the famous sundial!"

"Sundial?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get there!" she said, overjoyed to finally see the end of this route, "I've heard it's incredible!"

We stopped for the night. I wanted to keep on going now that the end was finally in sight, but we had to give Mamoswine a rest. I slept beside Charizard's fire, excited about this freezing trip finally being over.

The next morning, after a night free of dreams, we fed our Pokemon, who clearly picked up on our excitement. Goomy continued to make happy noises at Mamoswine. Goomy had been coming over to Mamoswine and telling him things since the second day in that strange Pokemon language of body movement and noise, and the Ice Pokemon had at first considered my little Dragon an annoyance, but had over time grown to like him.

"Serperior, Hyper Beam! Ludicolo, Hydro Pump! Get out of here!"

Evelyn's call disturbed me, and I immediately turned from looking at Goomy and Mamoswine to her. We had made camp in a small cave, little more than an indent in the rock wall, but it was enough to give us some shelter. Evelyn was commanding moves from her Pokemon, attacking a gang of wild Sneasel, led by a Weavile.

"Wes, get over here! They're after the food!" she yelled, "Chesnaught, Brick Break!"

A Sneasel slipped past Evelyn's Pokemon and grabbed her bag with its deft hands, scurrying away.

"No!" she called, "Stop!"

The Weavile gestured to two Sneasel, and the three of them unleashed a combined Ice move on Flygon and Tropius, knocking the two Pokemon out instantly. This wasn't good. In temperatures this cold, and with their exaggerated weaknesses, they could easily get frostbite.

The Weavile gestured again and four Sneasel followed its directions, two of them handling each of the Pokemon they had just defeated, picking them up and carrying them away into the snow.

"Get them!" I called to my remaining Pokemon, but all of them except for Ampharos and Charizard were moving slowly in the cold. Ampharos's Discharge scared the wild Ice Pokemon, but didn't make them drop their victims, and the gang disappeared into the snow still carrying our Pokemon and bags.

"Tropius!" cried Evelyn. She immediately sprinted into the snow after them, following them down a narrow path between the walls of white snow, disappearing from my view quickly,

"Evelyn!" I called. I wanted to rush after her and chase her and Flygon, but I knew that was stupid. I had to think of a better way to do this. I returned all of Evelyn's Pokemon, using the Pokeballs that she had left on the ground when she rushed after the Sneasel, then returned all of mine except Charizard to keep them out of the cold. I put Tropius's and Flygon's Pokeballs in a special pocket in my navy blue and orange jacket, then told Mamoswine to help us look. He seemed more than willing to help.

"Charizard," I said. She looked down at me, and I thought again about just how large she was after she Mega Evolved. "We need to find them. Fly."

Charizard took off with me on her back, exploiting her lengthened, Mega Evolved form to slither through the air like a serpent, cracking her body like a whip every so often for an extra boost of speed. The snowstorm beat into her side and pelted me with its cold fury, but we kept going.

"There!" I pointed, shouting above the howling wind. Charizard followed my gesture and saw the shapes on the ground too: numerous dark shapes carring two large green ones, Flygon and Tropius, through the narrow paths between the solid walls of snow. I saw Evelyn sprinting along behind them, impressively staying on their trail despite their efforts to lose her.

"Flame Burst!" I called. Charizard listened and blasted a ball of fire that exploded and scattered like a firework in the air, pelting the Weavile and Sneasel below and forcing them to drop Flygon. I smiled at the success and took Flygon's Pokeball out of my pocket, awkwardly fumbling with it with my heavy gloves on the rocking back of my Pokemon who was fighting the heavy wind, finally switching it to recall mode and returning my Pokemon.

"One down," I said to my Fire Pokemon, "Let's get Tropius."

Just then, the wind increased in power, its howl going from irritating to deafening, sweeping us out of the sky and slamming us into the soft, powdery sea of white below. I swore in surprise while Charizard roared as we hit the snow.

"Evelyn?" I asked. I thought she had been somewhere around here, but I lost my sense of direction and had no idea where I was. Evelyn didn't answer.

The wind was too strong to keep flying, so after I told Charizard about it she reverted to normal and I returned her. I struggled through a drift of snow and fell into one of the trails that Evelyn and the wild Ice Pokemon had run along.

It was narrow, so narrow that with every step it felt like the walls of burning cold were about to fall in as I scraped my shoulders against the hard-packed snow. I could hear the subtle sound of my feet on the rocky ground and the sliding sound of the fabric of my jacket as it hissed where it scraped against the walls of snow. I wasn't sure if I was running in the right direction, but I kept going anyway. If I was lost, I could just wait until the heavy wind died down and then use Fly again to find Evelyn and Tropius from the air.

I ran along for what seemed like hours although it was probably just about fifteen minutes. I finally came to a place where the snow ended, and the wild Sneasel and Weavile were standing on a rocky hill that emerged from the snow. The Weavile was at the top of the hill along with our bags and Tropius, who was starting to look incredibly weak in the cold, while the Sneasel ringed the hill, sending Icy attacks and slashing at Evelyn, who was trying and failing to get by them and save her Pokemon.

"Evelyn!" I called. When she turned and looked at me I grabbed a random one of her Pokeballs and got ready to throw it at her, but she shook her head.

"Do you have a Potion?" she asked. I felt my pockets, thinking that they were all in the bags that the wild Pokemon had stolen and being pleasantly surprised when I found the shape of the bottle of medicine in one of the pockets of my jacket.

"Here!" I shouted, throwing it at her and hoping that the medicine wouldn't freeze in this cold air. Two Sneasel turned to look at me and used Ice Beam, forcing me to jump and dodge the crystalline lines of cold.

"Charizard, showtime!" I called, sending her out once again. "Fire Fang!"

While Charizard lunged at the wild Pokemon, forcing them to leap out of the way to avoid her jaws that were bubbling with liquid flame, Evelyn scrambled up the hill through the break in the line of Sneasel that Charizard had created.

The Weavile looked down at her, throwing out both its hands and unleashing a blast of wild so cold that it was noticeably different from the normal temperature on even Route 17. I shivered through my coat even far away from the Pokemon, unable to imagine how cold it was for Evelyn in the direct path of the move.

"Dragon Pulse!" I called, "Hit Weavile!"

Charizard nodded and fired the move at Weavile. I had grown used to seeing the move's blue and red shreds of power as about half of my Pokemon knew it: Salamence, Charizard, and Ampharos.

The wild Weavile scrambled to avoid the move, still receiving a glancing blow despite its efforts. Evelyn took advantage of the opportunity and finished her climb to the top of the hill, grabbing our bags and using a Potion on Tropius.

"Wes, return Charizard and brace yourself!" she called. I did as she instructed, stowing away Charizard's Pokeball in one of my jacket pockets and ducking behind one of the snowdrifts.

Evelyn called some move that I couldn't hear, and Tropius responded by beating its leafy wings and summoning a swirling hurricane of wind that wrapped the snow in spirals and blew away the wild Ice Pokemon, leaving Evelyn and her roaring Pokemon heroically on the rocky hill in the eye of the storm, snow whirling all around them.

When the move finished, Evelyn and Tropius walked down the hill and I handed her Pokeballs to her while she gave my bag back to me.

"Is Tropius okay?" I asked, looking at the Grass and Flying Pokemon.

"He's fine, thanks to that Potion. Tropius, return," she said, recalling the powerful creature.

"Let's find Mamoswine and get out of here," I said. We were so close to Anistar City, and I had a badge to win.


	30. Chapter 30: Illusions

Chapter 30

* * *

><p>Evelyn and I fell off of Mamoswine's back as he pushed through the end of the blizzard, falling to ground that wasn't covered in snow appreciatively.<p>

"Thank you," I said to Mamoswine, slipping him some of the food the Caen's mom had given us that he had really grown to like over our six-day journey through Route 17.

"There you are!" exclaimed a female voice, "You two are the ones Owen gave special permission to, right?"

I couldn't process what she was saying for a second, and she continued.

"The Pokemon Ranger on the other side let you two ride alone, right? You aren't just seriously lost from your caravan?" she continued. She was a Pokemon Ranger as well, and Mamoswine bounded over to join a group of other Mamoswine at her direction. I could see people outfitting the Mamoswine for a serious journey.

"Yeah, that's right," said Evelyn.

"So you two saved that Abomasnow? Good for you," she said. Obviously Owen had told her the story. "You made good time for not having a guide, too."

We nodded, exhausted from our long travel and looking forward to warmth.

"Owen told me the story. So some people in weird orange clothes were attacking Abomasnow? You know, there were a lot of people in weird orange suits in Anistar recently. I think they were doing something at Terminus Cave, but they left about a week ago," she mused, before stopping to notice that Evelyn and I were still slumped in exhaustion on the ground. "Well, Anistar City is just through that gate. Don't stop now when you've come so far"

Evelyn and I picked ourselves up off the ground and stumbled through the gate. Anistar City was so cold that we could see clouds of our breath in the frigid air, but it was so much better than Route 17.

Part of Anistar City was built on huge docks over the river below, and a delicately colored yellow and green guardrail prevented people from falling into its icy depths. Evelyn and I walked to the Pokemon Center, past houses with roofs entirely made of solar panels with small boxes of plants above the wide, glass doors and many windows to let as much heat from sunlight in as possible.

"Look," said Evelyn, "It's the sundial."

She pointed to a shape that rose on a special loop of the City, extending from the city and above the cold waters. I saw a huge spire of pink crystals, with jagged edges. To me it looked like frozen fire, its colors burning bright in the sunlight. Past the benches and minimalist lampposts in my way, I could see rows of small bushes around the sundial.

"You two look terrible," assessed the Nurse as we walked into the Pokemon Center, "You just came from Route 17, right?"

We nodded, and she herded us to the hot showers, saying that they were here especially for travelers from that icebound path. After we showed her our League registration cards, she took our Pokemon and promised that she would fully restore them to health. Evelyn told her to pay special attention to Tropius, and she promised she would.

There were two rooms in this Pokemon Center that I hadn't seen in any other: locker rooms for trainers with showers inside. Evelyn went into the female room while I went into the male one and immediately stripped off my winter clothes and took a shower. I briefly looked at myself in the full-length mirror, glad that I was alone. A scar on my side, a scar on my shoulder, scars on my back. But other than those, I looked pretty good.

I let the hot water wash over me, glad that my back was healed right now so that the splashing warmness could cover my whole body and wash all the fatigue and layers of deodorant (I had been on the road for a week) down the drain.

I pulled out fresh clothes from my bag and put them on. I walked out of the room and put the clothes that I had been wearing in the washing machine. I waited while Evelyn continued showering and my jacket was washed in the Pokemon Center's lobby, looking out over the crystalline waters of the river. It was so huge that from the window I could barely see the opposite bank and it looked like an ocean.

While I waited, I took out my Holo Caster. I almost called Dominic, but hesitated at the last minute, not knowing what to ask. I decided that I would call him soon, and called Caen instead.

"Hey," I said, "I'm alive. I made it."

"Hey!" said Caen, "That's great! How was the food?"

"It was awesome," I answered. It had been, and had been varied enough that we could eat it for a week and not get bored, "Your family is great."

"Yeah, I guess," he said. I recognized the Frost Cavern in the background behind him. "Is Evelyn okay?"

"She's fine. She's taking a shower now. Hey, what do you want me to do about the extra clothes your mom gave us?"

The background blurred by in a flurry of icy stone. Caen was skating around. "Don't worry about them. Keep them if you want." Caen must have seen the look on my face, and he added, "If you really want to give them back, you can do it at the Pokemon League. Or Lumiose City, I'm going there next."

I nodded, and we chatted about training and our Pokemon for the next few minutes. He talked to me about all the training he was doing for his Zweilous and how it still wasn't evolving. I wondered about my Fraxure and Goomy, hoping they would evolve soon. Soon, Evelyn came out from the locker room, wearing fresh clothes as well, her heavy clothes presumably also in the washing machine. She told me that she had put my stuff in the dryer, and then thanked Caen for the clothes his mom had given her. After that, a trainer challenged Caen to a battle and he said goodbye.

"How fast do you think he'll beat them?" I asked, as Evelyn sat down in a seat beside mine.

"I'm guessing five minutes, give or take some time for him to trip and fall," she said. I smiled for a second, even though it wasn't a very funny joke, but then looked down again, concerned.

We stared at the Holo Caster for a few seconds awkwardly.

"Should we call them?" Evelyn finally asked.

"No," I said, "He needs time."

"Hasn't it been nine days?" she asked, "Maybe he needs to know we're here for him, too."

"He knows that," I said, "He'll call us when he's ready."

"What about Liz?" she asked.

"I don't know," I admitted, "Does she even have a Holo Caster?"

"Well, you've known her for longer," said Evelyn, "How would I know?"

"We should call Dominic," she said, taking out her own Holo Caster, "Give me his number."

"Tomorrow," I said. I wanted to give him as much time as he wanted, although Evelyn did have a good point.

"Sure," she said.

We made idle talk while our clothes finished drying about the sundial, which apparently not even the hardest drill could crack, and about my Gym battle. I was going to battle her today, whenever the Nurse returned with all of my Pokemon.

"I've never met her, but I've heard she uses Psychic Pokemon," said Evelyn, "I've also heard that she likes to speak in poetry."

Well, that was weird. But every Gym Leader I had battled had their own little quirks, even Evelyn, and maybe speaking in poetry wasn't weirder than carrying a giant pair of scissors or wearing a bunch of metal arms. Actually, they had all been pretty awesome despite their weirdness. Maybe Olympia's poetry was really good.

The dryer's cycle finished and I walked over to collect our clothes while Evelyn went to the counter where the Nurse had not yet returned.

"Are our Pokemon okay?" called Evelyn, obviously concerned by how long it had taken.

The Nurse hurried out of the rooms, apologizing. "I'm so sorry. I forgot all about you two. Your Pokemon are doing great. Here, take them back. We hope to see you again—I mean, feel free to return whenever you need to! I'm not hoping your Pokemon will get injured, I promise!"

Evelyn stared blankly at the gibbering Nurse, taking back our Pokeballs.

"Let's go the sundial," I said, "I'll challenge the leader right after."

We put our jackets back on and stepped outside, shivering. It was so much warmer than Route 17, but I had already gotten used to the heated Pokemon Center. We walked a little to the north and then turned onto the loop where the sundial was, its pink crests glinting in the noonday light.

"It's so beautiful," said Evelyn.

A passing girl called it OOPArt: an out-of-place artifact.

An old man grew slightly concerned at her flippant description. "This is no mere piece of OOPArt!" he declared, "It's rumored to be connected to a legendary Pokemon!"

"A legendary Pokemon?" I asked, watching him as he walked up to the platform in front of the sundial.

"Yes, the mythical Pokemon Diancie," he answered, "Diancie's body is rumored to be the loveliest sight in the whole world, like that sundial but far more beautiful. But there are Pokemon far more impressive than Diancie in Kalos. There are Pokemon of life and death, a Pokemon of savage fog who lives where humans do not tread and can blow away a mountain with steam, a troublesome trickster who can relocate entire towns with its loop, and a Pokemon who is said to be able to travel through time living in the southern forest near Kiloude City."

"Wow," said the girl, her flippant attitude gone.

"How do you know about them?" I asked. I had no idea who half the Pokemon he had just mentioned were.

"I've traveled the world searching for legendary Pokemon," he answered, "The closest I've come to finding one was when I saw a small Pokemon that made its rings grow to enormous size and teleported an entire organization's headquarters to the middle of a desert."

We were all suitably appreciative, and clapped politely. After Evelyn and I had seen enough of the sundial, we went to the gym.

A sign outside proclaimed: _Olympia, the person who makes paths with starlight._

"Hey, that's a pretty good leader title," I said. Then I suddenly had a thought. "Evelyn, what's yours going to be when you become a Gym Leader?"

"It's going to be… um… I haven't decided yet," she said, fidgeting awkwardly. I knew her well enough to tell that she was lying by now. Maybe it was something embarrassing.

"Tell me later," I said.

"Ok. Good luck, Wes. Not that you need it."

I walked into the Gym to see a small, yellow room with curtains and a fireplace. It was like the Santalune and Laverre Gyms, and I scanned the floor for warp panels or a hole that led to below. However, I found neither.

There had to be some trick, so I went over to the fireplace to investigate, accidentally stepping on the rug as I went. A pattern on the rug burned purple below me, and suddenly I wasn't in the room.

"What?" I cried, falling to the floor. All around me, stars and galaxies swirled, and I felt like I was somehow in outer space. I looked down and got even dizzier, looking at ribbons of brightly colored translucence wrapped in the shape of a ball, surrounded by stunning, spinning vistas of the night sky. I saw many people on the various levels of the Gym, and a woman with a glittering cloak at the center of the spherical maze.

This insanity must just be some Psychic illusion. I stood up and felt the reassuringly solid ground, forcing myself to ignore my instincts and walk forward. The floor hummed with my every step.

"Don't be distracted by your surroundings," said a Gym Trainer, walking across a narrow, impossibly floating ribbon of blue, "Focus on unleashing your true power."

He sent out an Exeggutor, and I sent out Salamence. I called a quick succession of dodging and Fire Fang attacks, and once Salamence got over his wonder at the crazy environment he was able to focus on my calls and win easily.

"Yes!" cheered the Gym Trainer, handing me the prize money, "When you remain calm and undistracted, your Pokemon can realize their full potential."

I kept going until the blue floor I was on ended. As I was wondering how to keep going, white light began to swirl around me, shaping into spinning rings, and I was suddenly on the green, inner floor, looking up at where I had been standing moments before.

Swirling rings and teleporting… The combination made me think of the old man's tale of the mischievous legendary Pokemon.

I wandered around, getting lost on the ribbons of green, noticing swirling rocks, watching as stars formed constellations of Pokemon, traveling between the floors until my head spun, and taking down the Psychic Pokemon the Gym Trainers used. One of the Gym Trainers claimed that this Gym's unreal labyrinth existed because of the harnessed power of the cosmos.

Eventually, I found my way to the innermost pink floor, where an orb of blue and white serenely hovered in the center of the spherical labyrinth of the Gym. A woman in a white cloak stood on top of a spinning disk, her hair somehow rising in an impossible desigin. She was clearly the Gym Leader.

I approached her and she began to speak.

"A ritual to decide your fate and future. The battle begins!" She threw aside her cloak, revealing a starry pattern on the inside, and hovered from the floor, her feet somehow rising off the white, misty ground.

Was that poetry? Something about the number of syllables seemed familiar.

"Flygon!" I called, "Let's do this!"

"Slowking, rise and pour," she spoke, "Out your true power. Show this trainer what we are!"

There was a pattern to how she was speaking.

She sent out a Slowking and nonverbally ordered a move, which I recognized a second later as Ice Beam.

"No! Dodge it!" I called. An Ice move would wreck Flygon. She managed to twist out of the way and the beam flew by, sailing on into the depths of space. I wondered if it would ever stop.

This was not a good matchup. I decided to switch up Olympia's Pokemon and deal with Slowking later.

"Dragon Tail!" I said.

Flygon's tail and eyes burned a luminescent green, and she slammed the Psychic Pokemon with a reverberating, powerful hit, sending it back to its Pokeball. Olympia shrugged and sent out a second Pokemon.

"Under your onslaught, we sway and dance and stay," she declared, "unbowed. Meowstic!" She threw her next Pokeball. There was definitely a pattern in her speech. 5, 7, 5… I was so close to remembering.

A Meowstic appeared on the battlefield. The white Pokemon growled softly, shaking its two tails. It used Fake Out, landing some quick damage on Flygon.

"Crunch!" I called.

Flygon beat her wings and swooped in to deliver a vicious attack with her snapping jaws. However, Meowstic responded to a nonverbal cue from Olympia and targeted Flygon with a Psychic attack, wrapping bands of pink power around Flygon's green body while its eyes glowed a blank yellow.

Flygon bit down hard, dealing heavy damage with Crunch, but was severely injured herself by the Psychic.

"Earth Power!" I called.

The pink floor with its circle of swirling white erupted with surreal strands of pink energy instead of the normal earth tones of the move.

"Crunch again! Finish it!" I saw that Meowstic was in a vulnerable position and knew that one more move would take it down.

Flygon attacked again as Meowstic retaliated with Psychic. Both Pokemon fell to the floor and fainted, and Olympia and I returned our Pokemon.

"Slowking, battle with," Olympia began, "me. Once again, lend me your strength. We shall show our bond!"

"Haiku," I finally realized, accidentally blurting it out loud. I finally recognized the form of poetry she was speaking in. We had studied it in in Literature class, and we had all had to come up with our own Haiku. Mine had been terrible, but Liz's had been amazing.

Olympia nodded approvingly.

"Ampharos, showtime!" I called, throwing my second Pokeball.

"Begin with Ice Beam," Olympia called, "Follow it with Flamethrower, and finish with Scald."

"Thunder Wave!" I called, as the Icy move hit Ampharos right in his chest and Slowking began to prepare its Fire move.

Ampharos moved his tail into position and sent an electric current into Slowking, paralyzing it right as it launched a Flamethrower. Ampharos winced and cried out at the heat as Slowking began to twitch uncontrollably. Olympia looked down from where she was hovering serenely over the battlefield and frowned.

"Discharge!" I called.

Slowking fainted as the wall of lightning trolled across the battlefield, never being able to use the Scald Olympia had ordered. Olympia floated to the side as the Discharge neared her, dodging it as well. I watched as the sparks eventually flickered off and died in the cosmos around us.

"Winner and Loser. A Pokemon battle leads on," she said, returning Slowking, "To the goal of both." Another Haiku.

She sent out a Sigilyph. The Psychic Pokemon's odd wings shuffled in the unreal breeze that moved through the gym.

"Discharge!" I called, wanting to finish the battle using the type advantage.

Olympia's Sigilyph surprisingly took the move and responded with Whirlwind, switching my Ampharos out. I decided to send in my last Pokemon, Salamence, although I still had Ampharos for backup. Whirlwind worked like Dragon Tail: it returned the target to its Pokeball but didn't defeat it, only postponing the battle.

Sigilyph used Air Slash, slicing through the sky and hitting Salamence with a blast of pure wind force. Salamence roared in protest.

"Dragon Pulse!" I called. Olympia poetically called a Light Screen and then a Cosmic Power, boosting Sigilyph's defense.

Salamence fought hard against Sigilyph, struggling to make dents in its health now that its defenses were so high. Eventually, after an hour of incredibly difficult struggles and I had switched for Ampharos only for Sigilyph to defeat my Electric Pokemon, Salamence landed the final blow.

I breathed out in relief, and Salamence raced back over to me, overjoyed. He knocked me over playfully and started playfully licking my face.

"Hey!" I yelled, laughing. I finally got him to stop and then walked over to Olympia, who gently floated back to the ground and held out a golden and purple badge in the shape of a puff of smoke.

"Now, the Psychic Badge," she explained. Creative name. "A testament to your skill. Proof of your Power." She then handed me a purple TM. "The Calm Mind TM. A move that boosts special stats. My own gift to you."

I thanked her and then began to wander back the entrance, but after I had teleported around the Gym again and was almost back at the entrance Olympia floated down into my path, bringing an ominous message.

"Hold," she commanded, "I see your fate. Power that orders life wakes- voices of terror."

I could feel the back of my neck tingle. The Gym wasn't cold, but I felt like shivering. Her warning plus this Gym's environment made me believe every word she said and filled me with fear.

"The one from your past," she continued, "Hidden truths— deaths that shape you. You will know all soon."

Suddenly, it felt like my flesh was filled with ice colder than anything I had experienced on Route 17.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I would like to apologize to Defender31415. I'm sorry, and since you're my reader, I love you. Anyway, to everyone else, look forward to Chapter 32. To anyone who is wondering, the steam Pokemon is Volcanion and the teleporting trickster is Hoopa. And I just broke 100000 words! Haha!<strong>


	31. Chapter 31: Ponds

Chapter 31

* * *

><p>Evelyn and I left Anistar City, passing through the gate to Vallee Etroite Way in the south of the city.<p>

After I had gotten my seventh badge, Evelyn had gone to the Gym and trained and then we had slept at the Pokemon Center. When the sunlight filtered through the windows, Evelyn woke up and joined me (I was already awake because of a nightmare as usual), and we had made our preparations and left the City quickly.

Vallee Etroite Way was not as cold as Anistar City, but my breath still made cold clouds of frigid smoke and I was grateful for my jacket once again. Despite the cold, plants still grew strong and green, and I walked through a small grove of trees toward a bridge over the narrow valley ahead, looking at the green foliage, uplifted to the cold sky.

Goomy made a contented noise on my shoulder. My back was healed and the temperature wasn't too cold for him anymore, so he was back in his usual spot.

"Once we get through Couriway Town and Grande Vallee Way, we'll be in Snowbelle City," said Evelyn, "Your final badge is there."

I nodded. "It feels like it's been forever since I left. I can't believe it: only one badge left! I still have the Pokemon League after that, though." The Pokemon League would be more difficult than any Gym battle. A tournament of the best trainers in the land followed by, if I could place highly enough, a battle against a gauntlet of Elite Four and the Champion.

I thought for a second about how far I had come. I would never have pictured myself here, in the Eastern region of Kalos, with six Pokemon of my own. I hadn't even known them back then, but now I couldn't imagine being without them. Salamence, who had been at first scarred and savage but now was exuberant and free. Fraxure, who took every chance to test herself and created her own move techniques. Charizard, who was always there for me whenever I needed her. Ampharos, who would never give up until he took himself to the absolute limit. Flygon, who was occasionally annoying but very sweet and determined. Goomy, who was so loyal to me for reasons I didn't even understand.

I looked at Evelyn. I would never have pictured being with good friends on this journey either. Whenever I had imagined traveling in the Wards' Home, my daydreams featured me adventuring alone. I had thought that I knew Dominic and Liz back then, but I really hadn't. I had thought of Liz as this annoying girl who I only put up with because she was smart and could help me with schoolwork. Okay, and maybe because she was really beautiful. I had learned there was so much more to her on this journey, and her stubborn streak had done a lot of good for us during that time in Lumiose, when she managed to get us into whatever awesome, off-limits place we wanted to.

I had assumed that since Dominic was rich and never spent time with people, he thought he was too good for them, but I had been totally wrong. He was actually nice and funny and his Pokemon loved him. At least they had, until that woman killed them. Evelyn had told me to call Dominic because I had said I would do it today, but I didn't specify when today so I could I put it off, telling her I would do it when we got to Couriway Town. I didn't want to rush him when he needed time, and I didn't want to say the wrong thing. I felt a confusing mix of guilt: guilt because I could have easily been the one to take on Aliana while he battled Malva in that factory, guilt because he had lost three Pokemon, three friends, three of the family he had created, while I was still with mine, guilt because I was so incredibly grateful it had been him instead of me. I had no idea what I would do, what I would want my friends to say, if I lost one of mine. I was thankful for the walk through Vallee Etroite Way, because it let me put the call off for a little longer.

Evelyn exclaimed and pointed down below at a Pokemon battle where a trainer was battling alongside a Torterra.

"It's magnificent!" she shouted, "I wish I had one!"

My Holo Caster buzzed as we stepped onto the bridge that crossed this narrow valley. I took it out and held it in my hands, not sure who was calling. The image that took place, transparent blue and lined with the edges of the bridge's planks that were visible through the light image.

Surprisingly, the face that appeared didn't belong to Caen, Dominic, Liz, or even Professor Sycamore. Instead, the image of a certain expert in Fire appeared. Beside me, Evelyn's Holo Caster buzzed and she took it out as well. It projected the same message and the same face.

"Breaking news bulletin!" declared Malva, looking incredibly fake wearing her reporter makeup, "Lysandre Labs has begun its massive initiative to renovate and revitalize the Lumiose City airport. This will have the unfortunate side effect of temporarily cutting off all international flights into Kalos. Construction work had commenced and the projected ending date has yet to be announced. According to the brilliant founder and CEO, Lysandre himself, it's all part of making the world more beautiful. On a completely unrelated note, the Lumiose Train Station will be shut down for the remainder of today."

The image of the member of both the Elite Four and Flare flickered and vanished.

Evelyn sighed, "Ugh. Remember the International Police officer that they were going to bring in to investigate the Pokeball Factory's destruction?"

"Yeah," I said, vaguely remembering something like that. Kalos's police force was weak to the point that it almost didn't exist, so the government had to call in agents from out of the country to work on any major cases. Flare was responsible for what had happened to the Pokeball Factory, but nobody other than the people who had fought with us at the Factory knew that, since somehow Flare was being kept out of the news. I suspected that it had something to do with Malva's position. Anyway, I remembered something about an International Police officer being called in.

"His flight was supposed to leave from Sinnoh today," Evelyn explained, "I've been keeping up with it on the news. But, now, with the airport shut down, he won't be able to get here."

"No way," I said, remembering what Evelyn had said in Dendemille Town about us being cursed. I was starting to think she had a point.

"I was so relieved, too. The International Police could have started fighting Flare instead of random people like us who just happen to be in the area," Evelyn said.

I sighed, agreeing with her. It felt like we the only ones fighting, while no one else had any idea what was going on, and we had taken too much damage. It would have been great for someone else to come in and take over. "It's okay, though," I said, "I mean, what are the chances we ever see Flare again?"

Evelyn laughed and agreed with me, but I wasn't so confident. I seemed to run into Flare wherever I went, and with my luck it was likely that I would be battling people in orange suits by the end of the day. However, I kind of looked forward to it, as crazy as that sounded even inside my own head. Saving Abomasnow from them had felt really good, and I wanted to stop them again and protect more people. Maybe it could help me balance out some of the guilt I felt about what happened to Dominic and get some payback for what had happened to me. I knew it was just survivor's guilt: we had been fighting side by side, and I had seen him lose his Pokemon while I was totally fine, standing there on the same metal catwalk in that Factory, but still, I felt guilty. Also, I wanted to know more about my nightmares and about Celosia, and fighting Flare again was my best chance to do that. So, as crazy as it was, I almost wanted to run into Flare again.

We crossed the bridge and battled a few trainers on the other side. After that, we saw that the rest of the route was below us, so we climbed down a steep, rocky trail to where that Trainer with the Torterra had been battling earlier.

As we walked by a rock formation, a small hill of stone with entrances scattered around and well-worn, rusted tracks emerging from each, even lining a scaffolding above our heads, a scruffy mountain man who said he explored this place all the time challenged Evelyn to a battle. After she won, he told us about the cave inside the hill.

"People call it Terminus Cave," he said, "It used to be a coal mine, but people say that the foreman was too greedy. He dug too deep and unleashed a monster. After some mysterious incidents, they closed down the mine for good. All that's left are those trolley tracks you see. Anyway, about a week ago some people in weird orange suits came here. They excavated something from inside the cave, and I think they took it to Couriway Town."

"What was it?" I asked. People who would keep wearing orange suits even on a mining expedition sounded like Flare, and I was wondering what they had taken. It probably wasn't coal.

"I'm not sure exactly," he said, "But it was huge."

We thanked him for the story and kept going, passing through a long field of red flowers. A Lairon jumped out at me from the side of the road, and I had to hurl myself to the ground to dodge. When the Lairon scraped against the rocks at the side of the field of flowers, sparks from the friction poured off of its armor. Goomy was able to quickly defeat the wild Pokemon with Muddy Water.

After we walked through the peaceful field of flowers, we were suddenly in Couriway Town. I looked up at the train tracks, held up by an elegant stone bridge as I passed through one of its arches into town.

Couriway Town was small, covered in ponds and elegant waterfalls. A train station stood on a hill above the Pokemon Center, and a staircase lead up to it. Nearby, on what could be a small mountain or a huge hill, so many waterfalls emptied into one huge pool at the center of town.

"Wes," said Evelyn, "Your final Gym battle is coming up soon. You should get in as much training as you can. Let's battle!"

I nodded. That challenged had been pretty unexpected, but our last battle had been awesome, so I was perfectly willing to have another battle with her.

"After this, you'll call Dominic and Liz, right?" asked Evelyn.

"Sure," I agreed.

"Are you okay with six on six?" asked Evelyn.

I nodded. "Let's do it!"

We faced off at a flat area in the center of town, next to a deck that allowed people to sit on benches suspended over the beautiful pool by thin wood. I could see the side of the small mountain covered in beautiful waterfalls and a corner of the train station behind Evelyn.

"Fraxure, showtime!" I shouted.

"Let the battle begin! Go, Ferrothorn!" she announced. Ferrothorn appeared, his metal plating shining in the morning light.

"Fraxure, return," I called. I had seen Evelyn battle with Ferrothorn before and knew that I would be unable to break his stupidly strong defenses without targeting his weaknesses. "Go, Charizard!"

"Stealth Rock!" Liz announced. Ferrothorn spun his three spiky appendages and somehow scattered sharp rocks all over my side of the battlefield before Charizard could materialize. She stepped on the rocks and howled violently, taking to the air and shaking with rage. I shook my head in frustration. Stealth Rock did massive damage against Fire and Flying Pokemon like Charizard, and I knew that her health had taken a serious beating the instant that she entered battle. It wasn't a good way to begin.

"Flame Burst!" I called, ready to get some payback and target the massive weakness of Evelyn's Pokemon.

"No, Ferrothorn, dodge it!" cried Evelyn, but it was too late.

Charizard spat a burst of fire onto Ferrothorn. It slammed into him and then exploded like a firecracker, scattering tongues of fire everywhere. Ferrothorn gave an echoing cry and then fainted.

"Excellent, Ferrothorn, you did great," praised Evelyn, returning her Pokemon "Tropius, let's do it!"

Evelyn's Flying Pokemon appeared on the field and made a leafy, shuddering growl.

"Charizard!" I shouted to her while I threw the Charizardite. She caught it smoothly and I closed my fists around the keystone, which burned my hands with the cold it had soaked in from the surrounding environment.

I breathed in deeply and let my eyes close, focusing on Charizard. We Mega Evolved, but the cocoon of burning pink energy had barely cleared before Evelyn called her next attack.

"Whirlwind!" she said.

Tropius beat his serrated wings and stirred up a massive windstorm, forcing Charizard to return to her Pokeball. Whirlwind worked just like Dragon Tail except it didn't damage the targeted Pokemon and just switched them out. I thought for a second about which Pokemon to send in next.

"Goomy, showtime!" I decided, sending out my littlest Pokemon, He made a happy noise of excitement and jumped off my shoulder to join the battle. I figured that Evelyn would underestimate him and wouldn't bother forcing him out. Goomy winced as he hit the Stealth Rock, but didn't seem too damaged by them.

"Dragonbreath!" I called, "Pour it on!"

Goomy's smile became an expression of determination and he launched a beam of flickering, crimson red plasma into Tropius, scoring a direct hit and keeping the move trained on the opposing Pokemon, who was trying to move and dodge.

"Counter with Air Slash!" shouted Evelyn.

Tropius nodded and whipped his wings through the air, slamming Goomy with the waves of force generated by the rapid movements. The Air Slash made echoing crashes whenever it hit, and I could see Goomy wavering under the onslaught.

"Stay strong!" I encouraged, "Keep it up!" Air Slash was a powerful move, and the impact was enough to make me flinch just watching, but I knew that if Goomy could endure the attacks and keep up his Dragonbreath that eventually, the battle would be his.

Goomy narrowed his eyes and finally stopped, hit by one too many Air Slashes. However, Tropius was already immobilized, twitching with the red plasma burning on his skin. Dragonbreath's side effect, immobilizing the foe, had finally kicked in.

"Goomy, are you okay?" I asked. Now that Tropius was paralyzed, this would be an easy win for him. Goomy didn't respond, so I walked over and used a Potion on him while Evelyn tried to snap Tropius out of it by calling moves. The Grass Pokemon didn't respond to her efforts, but the Dragon Pokemon stirred instantly as the medicine touched him and shouted a warbling affirmation.

"Body Slam!" called Evelyn fruitlessly, but her Pokemon didn't move, his skin still burning with the effects of the Dragonbreath.

"Thunderbolt!" I called, and watched as move discharged into the vulnerable Tropius. "Again! Finish it!"

Goomy kept shocking Tropius until, finally, the huge Grass Pokemon fainted.

"Great job, Tropius," congratulated Evelyn, "Go, Sceptile!"

Sceptile appeared and stared dismissively at Goomy, inspecting the leafy blades on her arms.

"Dragonbreath!" I called.

"Start with Power-Up Punch!" called Evelyn, "Remember our training with Korrina!"

Sceptile rushed into the Dragonbreath, shrugging off Goomy's move and delivering a blow with her fist. She smiled cockily after she landed it, her power growing. Goomy, meanwhile, tumbled backwards and his eyes filled with fear.

"Dragon Claw!" called Evelyn.

I watched as Sceptile's claws began to shimmer like they were wrapped in a heat haze and grew menacing blue talons of energy. This was a strong Dragon type move, and I could see Goomy shudder.

"Evelyn, no-," I began, wanting to stop her from using this move because it reminded me too much of what had happened with Druddigon, but I changed my mind. "Relax, Goomy, you can do this! I believe in you! Dragonbreath!"

Goomy panicked and used Muddy Water. Sceptile waded through the ineffective Water move and knocked Goomy out with Dragon Claw.

"No," I said softly, running over to check on my tiny Dragon type. He was lying on the ground unconscious, breathing weakly. I checked him over: he was worn out and defeated but otherwise totally fine. I breathed a sigh of relief and returned him. I then took another Pokeball out of my jacket pocket, feeling the cold metal in my hand, and threw it. "Ampharos, showtime!"

Ampharos jumped around in pain when his feet touched the Stealth Rock, but soon got himself under control.

"Power Gem!" I called.

Ampharos blasted the crystal-studded beam of light from his tail, knocking back Sceptile and making her growl as the Rock type move scraped along her green, polished scales.

"Earthquake!" countered Evelyn.

That was a super effective move that I couldn't let Ampharos take. "Return, Ampharos. Finish this, Charizard!"

I sent in Charizard, knowing that she'd be immune to the Earthquake, but suddenly the Stealth Rock gleamed in the sunlight and I knew I had made a mistake. Charizard appeared, but even with her defiant attitude and the strength that her Mega Evolved form held, the Stealth Rock was too much and she fainted on contact.

"Use Agility!" called Evelyn, using the opportunity I gave her to boost her Pokemon's speed. Sceptile began to move with dizzying speed as she completed the boosting move.

"No, Charizard! That was my bad!" I called, but it was too late. Charizard stared at me as she fainted, annoyed but not angry. As usual, she was going to forgive me for my bad call, even though this had been a more humiliating defeat than she deserved. "Flygon, let's go!"

Flygon appeared, her wings churning the air into an eerie song, ignoring the minimal damage from the Stealth Rock that she took.

"Dragon Claw!" called Evelyn.

Sceptile elegantly readied her talons of energy slowly and then rushed at Flygon with incredible speed, closing the distance between them in no time.

"Earth Power! Target the ground beneath you!" I called.

If Flygon was surprised by my call, she didn't show it, and followed my suggestion, using her move to make the ground beneath her erupt with force. I knew Sceptile was moving too fast to be targeted with a move, but I thought that since I already knew where the Grass Pokemon was going I could just wait and let Sceptile's speed work against her.

The move worked just like I planned, and Sceptile was thrown back by the fountain of exploding earth.

"Now, Superpower!" I called. Flygon took advantage of Sceptile's momentary weakness and hit her with the absurdly strong move, knocking her out.

"Excellent, Sceptile!" said Evelyn, "Alright, Ludicolo!"

Evelyn sent out her next Pokemon. Of the six Pokemon she had, he was the only one that she had caught on her journey with us. She had been with the other five when I battled her at the Coumarine Gym, though she hadn't used Tropius in our battle because I only had four Pokemon at the time. She had caught Ludicolo later, after she treated him, as a Lombre, for the injuries he had received when Aliana had bombed the swamp outside Laverre City.

"Teeter Dance!" she called, and Ludicolo's festive dance soon had Flygon confused and everybody: Ludicolo, Flygon, Evelyn, and me, dancing some ridiculous dance, completely out of unison and making fools of ourselves.

"Rock Slide!" I called, now doing the dougie for some reason.

Flygon's confusion made the move go crazy, and the boulders started falling on me, forcing me to conga out of the way as the rocks slammed into the ground.

"Whoa, Wes, are you okay?" asked Evelyn, who was now waltzing with Ludicolo in the middle of the battlefield, her eyes growing wide when she got too close to the pointed Stealth Rock.

"I'm okay," I assured her, getting back to my spot while stopping to disco along the way.

"Use Ice Beam!" called Evelyn, and Ludicolo finished off Flygon quickly while she spun on her head, break dancing.

I returned Flygon before she could fall over and hit the Stealth Rock. "Fraxure, showtime!"

"Ice Beam!" shouted Evelyn.

"Dragon Dance!" I called.

Fraxure took the Ice move, but fought against it with all he strength, using Dragon Dance to boost her power.

"Ice Beam again," repeated Evelyn.

"Use Dual Chop! Burn it!" I called.

Fraxure lit her claws on fire and rushed around to Ludicolo faster than he could ready his Ice Beam, slamming him twice and knocking him out.

"You did great, Ludicolo, return," congratulated Evelyn, "Go, Chesnaught!"

"Dual Chop! Burn it!" I called.

"Spiky Shield!" countered Evelyn.

Chesnaught roared and brought her hands together, forming a tough, thorny barrier of green energy that Fraxure ran into.

"Belly Drum!" called Evelyn, and Chesnaught used her move to maximize her attack. However, it came at a huge cost, and now Chesnaught was exhausted and only had about half its stamina left.

"Slash!" I called.

"Needle Arm!" Evelyn shouted.

Fraxure's Slash lost against Chesnaught's massively boosted Needle Arm, and I returned my unconscious Pokemon, congratulating her on her performance.

"Ampharos!" I sent in my electric Pokemon, handing him his Ampharosite. I closed my hands around the keystone and focused on my Pokemon.

_Let's do this, Ampharos._

_Of course, Wes. I'm with you, my friend._

My thoughts blurred back into my own, and I called Power Gem. Chesnaught tried to block with Spiky Shield, but eventually Ampharos and I tore through her barrier with our move. However, the Grass Pokemon was stronger than I expected and struggled back to her feet.

"Bulldoze!" called Evelyn, and Chesnaught slammed her foot into the ground and slammed Ampharos with the resulting shockwave. Ampharos fell over, damaged by the super effective attack but still able to fight.

"Discharge!" I called. The move wasn't very effective, but since Chesnaught was so weak it finished her off anyway.

"Great job, Chesnaught," praised Evelyn, "Go, Serperior!"

"Dragon Pulse!" I called.

"Coil!" called Evelyn, "Then Leaf Blade!"

Serperior took the Dragon Pulse then retaliated with its own boosted move, knocking out Ampharos.

"Ok, Ampharos, good job," I said, "Salamence, showtime!"

"It's the final round!" called Evelyn with excitement.

Salamence stared down Serperior, framed by the waterfalls and rolling hills of Couriway Town. The two Pokemon had become fast friends on our journey, but that wouldn't stop them from trying their hardest in battle. In fact, the competitive edge might make the battle more interesting.

"Dragon Pulse!" I called.

Salamence fired the beam of blue light and it shredded through the air toward Serperior.

"Hyper Beam!" countered Evelyn.

The yellow markings on Serperior's back burned black and she unleashed a beam of pure darkness. The two moves collided with explosive results.

At that moment, my Holo Caster started to buzz. Evelyn's did as well, and we both took our focus away from the battle to answer it.

Caen appeared, connecting to us by his X-transceiver.

"Wes, Evelyn," he began, "I'm in Lumiose City. You two need to get over here now. Flare is here, and they're doing something with the trains at the Lumiose Station."


	32. Chapter 32: Heavyrail

Chapter 32

* * *

><p>Charizard fought a fierce wind. I shivered on her back as a bolt of lightning shot from a nearby storm cloud. The thunder came a second later, slamming into my body like a shockwave.<p>

After Caen had asked us to come to Lumiose City because of Flare, Evelyn had resignedly said that we really were cursed. However, I was sort of looking forward to another chance to fight Flare, to do some good and maybe get some answers. We had stopped our battle and quickly healed our Pokemon at the Pokemon Center and then gotten on the backs of our Flying Pokemon and taken to the air.

The skies around Lumiose City were stormy, and Charizard was having trouble navigating the mess of grey-black raging clouds. Below us, through the wet sky and the blankets of obscuring rain, I could see the circle of golden light that was Lumiose City. I looked behind me, trying to spot Tropius and Evelyn, but I couldn't see them.

I was soaked to the bone by the rain, and my teeth were chattering. I wished that I was still wearing my cold-weather clothes. I had taken them off because I knew that they would be too much for warm Lumiose City, but a T-shirt and a pair of cargo pants weren't enough to keep me warm in this cold storm.

"It's there!" I shouted, pointing to the train station's old-fashioned design, the short, brown stone building with golden yellow windows tucked between taller office structures. The wind snatched my words away and blew them past my ears.

Charizard was landing, clearly targeting Professor Sycamore's lab. That was too far away from our target. As we descended, Charizard was finally able to hear me telling her to change direction and we flew around the South Boulevard, so low we were at the level of the second-floor windows. I saw Tropius swoop down from above me, and as we got closer to the station the small shadow beside a window clearly became the outline of Caen.

Charizard flapped backward, slowing down and hitting the pavement, the impact of her feet on the pavement traveling through her muscles and sinews, knocking the breath out of me. I returned Charizard as Evelyn and Tropius landed. Caen waved us over, and gestured to look through the windows.

"That was fast. Thanks for coming, you guys," he said.

"What's going on?" asked Evelyn.

"It's Flare," Caen answered, "I came here because I was going to ride to Kiloude City, but the whole station was closed. Then I noticed that these people were inside, and I recognized the suits from the swamp."

I looked through the windows. Inside, people in orange suits were moving something huge. It was covered in a tarp, on a platform that twenty people were lifting at the same time and carrying into a waiting cargo carriage. A man in a white suit, an Admin, was directing the efforts of the orange-suited, low ranking Flare members. Looking on, a man with strange hair and orange goggles was checking a computer. I had seen him somewhere before—in the swamp, talking to Aliana. I remembered his name: Xerosic. Standing beside him was—

"It's Celosia," I said. She was there, looking at a computer and shouting something to the Admin, her purple hair jarring in the yellow l, the strip of violet light on her mask flickering.

"What is that?" asked Caen. I shrugged. I really didn't care what they were moving. It was probably something sinister.

"Let's get help," suggested Evelyn, "Like we did at the Factory. Then we can stop whatever they're doing."

"It's Lumiose City," I argued. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to get any help here. "Nobody would help us here. The only reason we got help at the Factory was that everybody there was angry about the swamp being bombed and there were a bunch of brave people like Rangers there. Here, nobody knows about Flare and everybody is just an average citizen. If we tell them that there are terrorist at the train station, they're not gonna help us storm it. Even if they believe us, all they're gonna do is run and hide."

"You're right," agreed Caen, "It's up to us. We stopped them at the Frost Cavern. Let's do it again." Caen hadn't been with us during all of our encounters with Flare. If he had, he may not have been so enthusiastic about fighting them.

"Let's not do anything," suggested Evelyn, "There's no need to get involved."

"We got involved at the Frost Cavern," said Caen.

"Yeah, but they were torturing a Pokemon there," countered Evelyn, "We don't even know what they're doing here. It's not worth the risk. Let's just stay out of it."

"So what if that thing is, like, a giant bomb?" asked Caen.

"Then that's even less reason to get involved! What if we set it off when we're trying to stop it?" demanded Evelyn.

"Keep it down," I told them. There was no way that anyone from Flare could hear them through the rain and the thick windows at this volume, but if they kept getting louder then we could be discovered. "Evelyn, I'm going in. I think we can do this, and I need to ask Celosia—." I had a vague idea what I needed to ask her, something about my past and how she knew me, but it was hard to exactly put it into words. "Please come along. Without you, we won't even stand a chance. And we'll try to stay out of sight and see what they're doing without them noticing. There's no danger if they don't know we're there."

"Okay," she said, finally giving in, "I'll go. But if it gets dangerous then we need to get out of there immediately."

I was suddenly reminded of a similar argument we had back in the Lumiose Badlands, where I had been saying what she was now and she had been trying to convince me to fight Flare. I hadn't even noticed a change as our both of our attitudes completely reversed. How much had we changed on this journey?

I shook some water out of my hair, but it didn't really help and the rain just soaked me even more. "Let's go."

Caen's Shiftry picked the lock to the doors and we snuck inside while all of the members of Flare were intently making sure that their cargo was secured. I walked slowly from hiding spot to hiding spot, wincing at every drop of water that fell off my soaking body and crashed into the tile floor.

As I snuck out from behind the signboard that listed the arrivals and departures, a heavily breathing Flare grunt noticed me and shouted, alerting all of the others. A second later, they saw Caen and Evelyn's feet, visible beneath the board that they had chosen as a hiding place.

"Deal with them!" shouted Xerosic to the Admin, "Don't let them interfere!"

"Get out of here now, Wes!" called Celosia, "Trust me, it's for your own good!"

"Seriously?" exclaimed the Admin, "After our delays on the trip here, now we have to deal with interfering children?"

Xerosic and Celosia boarded the train as about half of the Flare agents finished securing their cargo in the compartment of the train and securely fastened the door. The Admin ordered the remainder of them to get us out of here.

The Flare agents rushed at us, sending out a vanguard of Pokemon. I saw the train start to leave through the wide gates in the back of the station.

I didn't have time to take them all on, so I just sent out Charizard. "Fly!" I called, "Follow the train!"

I got on Charizard's back and flew over the Flare agents and the angry Admin. A second later, I heard two commands from below me.

"Telekinesis!"

"Hyper Beam!"

Caen's Gothitelle swept aside half of the Flare agents in the way, and the rest scattered to avoid the move from Evelyn's Serperior. The Admin rushed at them angrily, but Gothitelle flung him aside into a wall.

Charizard flew onto the roof of the train. I jumped off and grabbed onto a rail. Caen and Evelyn were running toward the train, but it started to move.

"Hurry!" I called pointlessly. They were going as fast as they could, but it looked like they weren't going to make it. "Merde!" I swore, hearing the hatch on the roof behind me open and the shout of someone from Flare.

I braced my arm as the train started to accelerate. Evelyn and Caen were so close. Just when they were about to be left behind, Caen's Gothitelle cried out and lifted the two of them psychically, throwing them up onto the roof beside me.

Evelyn started to slip, so I grabbed her hand to steady her. The train passed out of the station's gate into the rainstorm as Caen and Evelyn recalled their Pokemon.

Caen, Evelyn and I looked at each other. We were holding onto the roof of a train, which was slick with rain, and chasing people who were undoubtedly plotting something evil.

"It's getting dangerous," said Evelyn.

"There's no way to turn back now," I said, "We'll have to wait 'till the train stops or stop in ourselves if we want to get off."

"Look!" shouted Caen, signaling for us to turn around. Two orange-suited people were climbing out of the hatch.

"What do you kids think you're doing?" demanded a Flare agent, shouting so we could hear her above the clattering sound of the rain hitting the metal roof. She and the man on her right were both crouching and grabbing the rails like we were to keep from slipping off in the heavy rain and being thrown off.

I looked past the two members of Flare. There were five cars separating us from the locomotive. Whatever they were transporting was in the coach right behind the locomotive.

"What are you people doing?" countered Caen, shouting as well.

"Let's just push 'em off!" shouted the male Flare agent. He got up shakily on his feet and ran toward us, but fell off when the train turned sharply.

Caen shouted loudly, almost falling off as well, and the female Flare member sent out a Gulpin. She called a Sludge Bomb, and her small green Pokemon spat a blast of poison at us.

"Charizard!" I called. Charizard, who was grabbing a rail in between Evelyn and Caen, used Flame Burst. The rain quickly doused the tendrils of flame, but the move was still able to block Gulpin's attack.

"Eek!" screamed the Flare woman as her Gulpin slipped and started sliding toward us. She lunged and caught it.

"The hatch!" shouted Caen. We all understood what he meant, and he, Evelyn and I rushed past the lunging Flare agent and entered the hatch. I returned Charizard and locked the hatch after me, ignoring the small noise of the Flare woman who was stuck outside beating on it. A second later, the rain stopped. I looked back to see the shroud of gray behind us as the train pushed on.

This compartment was empty, a simple passenger coach with seating, rails, and overhead places to put luggage. We walked through it and got to the door to the next car. Through the window, I could see that it was filled with Flare agents.

I stepped across the small divide between the two cars and looked back at Evelyn and Caen. "There's a lot of them. Are you two ready?"

"There's no turning back now," said Evelyn.

Caen nodded his affirmation, and I opened the door. I caught a few snatches of conversation before anyone noticed me as Caen and Evelyn followed me in.

"—going to get to Geosenge in about an hour. I can't wait to get off this—"

"Is that hunk of rock really a legendary Pokemon? Xerosic said that—"

"Hey, it's the intruders!"

"How'd they even get here?"

"Let's get rid of them!"

A massive battle followed that nearly destroyed the car. Pokemon moves tore holes in the roof. Angry fists punched through glass windows. People and Pokemon were trampled underfoot. Finally, though, Evelyn, Caen, and I had won. All of the Flare grunts were either unconscious or keeping themselves pressed against the wall in fear of Chesnaught, Rhyperior and Flygon.

Caen rubbed the forming bruise on his cheek where a man from Flare had punched him before being thrown through the roof of the coach by Caen's Rhyperior, who had become terrifyingly charged with anger when it saw the blow. "Let's keep going," he suggested.

Evelyn shook her head. "Let's find out what they're up to first. What are you people doing with this train?" The last part was addressed loudly to the defeated Flare agents, and punctuated by a bellow from Chesnaught.

"Aah!" screamed a woman who been trying to push Evelyn out of the train and laughing a few seconds ago. She wasn't so happy now.

"We don't know that much!" cried a man who I might have accidently stepped on, "All that we were told is that we're transporting a power source to Geosenge Town."

"Xerosic said that it's actually a legendary Pokemon," added a shaking woman quickly, "But that's all we know?"

"A legendary Pokemon?" I said. Somehow I had always pictured a legendary Pokemon like Xerneas or Yveltal to be more powerful and animated than whatever motionless thing was under that tarp. Maybe they had drugged it.

"Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything?" asked Evelyn vindictively.

"No, I believe them," I said, "Let's move on. I want to see this legendary Pokemon for myself."

We walked through them to the door at the end of the compartment. A man tried to grab Evelyn's ankle, but I kicked his arm away. He growled at me with anger in his eyes, but backed off when Flygon's eyes and tail started burning green.

We opened the door and crossed over to the next coach. After this one and one more, there was the one that I had seen them loading the thing that might be a power source or a legendary Pokemon into. After we walked through, Flygon and Chesnaught both attacked the door behind us, bending the metal so that the Flare agents inside couldn't open the door and follow us.

We walked through this empty car and opened the door to the next one. Celosia was there, in the next compartment, standing in the door.

"No, Wes," she said, "Don't come any closer."

"Move or we'll attack you," I said simply.

"I'm sorry to do this. You all are impressively strong to get through all of our grunts," she knelt down and touched a lever beneath her. She pulled it while speaking into a device on her wrist. "Xerosic, I'm releasing the last three cars."

"No!" called Evelyn from behind me.

Suddenly, the cars weren't attatched anymore and we were slowing down, watching as Celosia sadly waved goodbye, getting farther and farther away.

"This is actually good," said Evelyn, "All we have to do is wait for the train to stop and then we can get out of here."

"No," I said, staring at the train in the distance, "This isn't over yet." I wasn't letting them get away just yet.

* * *

><p>Evelyn grabbed my waist. I closed my hands around the keystone and focused.<p>

_Charizard, I know we're heavy and the train's fast, but I need you to get us there._

_I'll do it, Wes._

I focused as I felt the cocoon of energy wrap around myself and the Pokemon I was riding. Evelyn and Caen in the energy storm as well, and I could feel their weight pressing on Charizard's back like she could. I knew three people was a lot of weight, but I hoped that she could take it after she Mega Evolved.

Charizard roared, and I could feel the hot sun on my neck intensify as she finished her transformation and jumped off the roof of the train car. Her wings extended and materialized as she fell, and she beat them powerfully to climb back up, jerking her three passengers with her acceleration.

The train was getting farther and farther away, and I was worried that we wouldn't catch it.

"You can do it!" I said.

Charizard looked back over her shoulder at me and smirked. She accelerated and Evelyn grabbed me tighter. Her speed was incredible, and we skimmed above the tops of the trees that bordered the track, whipping up a wind that shook all of their leaves.

Soon, the train car approached again. Celosia had seen us coming, and had taken up a position on the roof of the last coach to meet us. Behind her was the car with Flare's cargo inside, and behind that was the locomotive.

Charizard landed on the roof, and Evelyn, Caen and I jumped off. The train had slowed a little, probably because the tracks ahead looked more treacherous, and now we were able to stand and walk comfortably on the roof.

"Wes," said Celosia, "You really need to stop. I don't want to hurt you, but I can't let you get any further."

"Get out of our way," said Evelyn.

"Wes, and you two," she said, "You really need to stop getting in the way of our operations. We don't want to hurt anybody, but we can't let you interfere with us, and we'll do what's necessary to stop that from happening."

"The intruders are on board?" asked a static-riddled voice.

"Yes, Xerosic," answered Celosia, "I'm dealing with them right now."

"Relax, you can let them get by. I still have my new invention to stop them."

"That's why I don't want them going any farther," said Celosia.

"What are you doing with that legendary Pokemon?" asked Evelyn.

"Legendary Pokemon? It's just a rock with extraordinary properties. We need it for a power source. Xerosic thinks it's a legendary Pokemon, but I disagree completely. Anyway, you three need to stop now. I don't care about the hunk of rock, I just really don't want you going anywhere near Xerosic's invention."

We approached closer.

"You aren't going to stop. Go, Froslass!" Celosia sent out her white, ghostly Pokemon.

"Charizard, showtime!" I said. Charizard snorted happily, stepping forward, her huge wings folded against her side, power radiating off her Mega Evolved form. "You two go on. I've got this."

Caen and Evelyn nodded and started moving forward.

"Blizzard!" called Celosia.

"Salamence!" I called, throwing another Pokeball, "Protect!"

Salamence's circular shield protected the three of us, and the gale of cold and snow radiated off the sides.

I threw a third Pokeball. "Flygon," I called, "Salamence! Air support!" I gestured to either side of the train, and my two Pokemon took off, flanking the car. I was planning on overwhelming Celosia's Pokemon and then demanding answers.

"Very well, Wes. I'll battle you," she said, "Go Drapion and Manectric!"

Evelyn and Caen used the time she spent sending out her Pokemon to slip by. I saw them enter the hatch. Manectric and Drapion took up places in front of Celosia, and Froslass floated above them.

"Salamence, Dragon Pulse on Drapion! Charizard, Flame Burst on Froslass! Flygon, Rock Slide!"

My Pokemon performed their moves instantly. Flygon and Salamence attacked in midair, and Charizard stepped forward and blasted flame.

"Protect, Manectric!" called Celosia. Her electric Pokemon shielded her trio from my moves. "You've gotten really powerful. You're challenging the Gyms, right?"

"Yeah," I said, "Okay, you have to tell me. How do you know me?"

"You still haven't remembered?"

"Come on, just answer the question," I begged.

"Why do you keep getting in Flare's way?" she asked, "Manectric and Drapion, Thunderbolt and Cross Poison on Charizard! Froslass, use Shadow Ball on Flygon!"

"Charizard, dodge! Fly!" I called. Charizard flew up and avoided the moves. I had to duck to avoid the Thunderbolt, which was fired above my head, and winced when I saw the Cross Poison, getting a bad flashback to a cave and a hospital in Ambrette Town. Flygon groaned as she took the Shadow Ball, falling back and struggling to catch back up. "You people keep getting in my way! Answer the question!"

"Okay, fine." Celosia said, "Wes, you can't hate me until you hear the whole story. What happened to you, it's because of me. But trust me, it's much better than what would've happened otherwise."

"What do you mean?" I said.

"I mean, your family d-," she suddenly stopped talking, "I can't. I can't tell you."

After that, she bowed her head and suddenly the ground behind her vanished. The train was crossing a bridge above a huge chasm.

"My family what?" I asked.

"Manectric, Flamethrower!" she said, refusing to acknowledge my question.

"Protect!" I called.

An incredibly destructive battle followed. Her Pokemon shot lightning, slashed with poison, and delivered ghostly cold attacks, while my Pokemon retaliated with everything they had, swooping in from above, crossing underneath the bridge, intercepting moves and countering everything she could do. She ignored all of my questions from then on and we focused on the battle, establishing a rhythm. We were evenly matched, and the battle was starting to wear us down.

"Superpower!" I called, pointing Flygon to Drapion.

"Froslass, intercept!" Celosia countered, and Flygon's move was worthless against the Ghost Pokemon.

Right then, Xerosic's voice interrupted us again. "Celosia, two intruders are returning to your position. Or perhaps I should say one intruder? Anyway, my experiment works exactly like I designed it to."

Celosia looked worried. "Understood."

The hatch behind us flew open, and Evelyn rushed out. She was followed a second later by a person dressed entirely in a black suit with yellow markings and a glowing E on the faceplate.

"Caen, stop!" called Evelyn, moving back as the person in the suit lunged for her, punching. She dodged and the person hit the roof, denting the heavy metal with a gloved fist.

"What?" I said, dumbfounded by the strength.

"INTRUDER IDENTIFIED! TERMINATION SEQUENCE!" The voice coming from the person sounded familiar, albeit robotically distorted. I looked around for Caen, but couldn't see him anywhere. Evelyn had just been talking to him, though. Where was he?

"Merde!" swore Celosia, "That thing actually works!"

"Evelyn! Where's Caen?" I asked. Both Celosia and I had temporarily forgotten our battle and were watching Evelyn and the black-suited figure.

"He's in that suit!" cried Evelyn, dodging a tackle.

Just then, the faceplate caught the light just right and I could see Caen's face through the grey plastic, underneath the glowing E.

"What?" I said. What the hell was Caen doing?

"It's the Expansion Suit," supplied Celosia, "It let Xerosic control people and amplifies their strength. It didn't know that it was actually working. Xerosic thinks he's such a genius. That Petasse... This experiment is sick!"

"Caen?" I shouted.

Caen charged at Evelyn again, knocking her off the train. They started falling down, deep into the gorge, Caen still trying to attack Evelyn as they fell.

"Two intruders are taken care of," said Xerosic. I ignored him, signaling to one of my Pokemon and jumping off the side of the car.

Charizard flew down to beneath me and we dived into the gorge, seeing the rocky bottom far below, Salamence and Flygon on either side of us, while the train above escaped, hiding too many secrets, and two of my friends fell, speeding toward the unforgiving ground, one still trying to kill the other.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: AronForever, hey! Thanks for your glowing review. And ali9720, I'm your first favorite? I'm honored!<strong>


	33. Chapter 33: Bridges

Chapter 33

* * *

><p>We dove as fast as we could. The air hit me in the face viciously, roared past my ears, and blew my hair around, but I kept my eyes focused on the two shapes beneath us.<p>

We still had time to catch them. This chasm was huge, as wide as a city and at least a hundred meters deep, framed by barren brown stone walls in the distance and rocky ground so far below that it was almost invisible.

Charizard, Salamence, and Flygon dove down, beneath that strip of shadow above that was the bridge, which was carrying away the train that we had failed to stop. I didn't care about that; right now just saving Caen and Evelyn would be a success to me.

Charizard folded her wings to her sides with a powerful sound and started plummeting headfirst. Caen and Evelyn came into view. She had her arms and legs outstretched, trying to slow her fall, while he was falling heavily, the glowing display on the black suit's faceplate flashing randomly.

Charizard grabbed Evelyn in her claws, being surprisingly gentle, and then threw her up to Salamence and continued to fall, chasing Caen. This was all her; I hadn't called anything yet. I looked up to see Salamence catch Evelyn and start to take her up to the bridge. Flygon kept diving, but she couldn't match Charizard's speed after a Mega Evolution and was still above us.

Charizard grabbed Caen, not so gently this time, and I felt the reverberation travel through her body.

"INTERFERENCE! INTERFERENCE!" shouted Caen. I looked at his eyes. They were open and looking around desperately, but they didn't seem to be registering what they saw. Charizard started flapping her jagged wings, slowly lifting us up. Caen struggled in her arms, but she gritted her teeth and kept holding him.

"Caen! Caen! Stop fighting!" I yelled, as he rolled his arm and the suit amplified his strength, allowing him to pull violently at Charizard's helping hand. I wasn't sure if he heard me.

Charizard flew back to the top of the bridge and dropped Caen, where he rolled into a crouching position. She landed a fair distance away, and I slid off. Flygon was hovering back up from below, and Salamence and Evelyn were on the bridge with us.

"TARGET IDENTIFIED!" said Caen—or the Expansion Suit speaking with Caen's voice—and he started to rush at Evelyn, "TERMINATION SEQUENCE RESTARTED!"

Evelyn looked up at him as he prepared to deliver a mechanically boosted punch.

"Salamence!" I called, "Stop him with Dragon Pulse!"

Salamence looked as uncomfortable as I felt. I really hoped this wouldn't hurt him. I watched, the hot sun beating on my face, as my Pokemon attacked my friend on my command.

Caen flew back and I heard the chestplate on the suit crack when he landed in front of me.

"ERROR! ERROR! SYSTEM CRITICALLY DAMAGED! INITIA— Wes, Evelyn!" Caen's voice returned as the suit began to emit sparks, "Help me!"

I ran over to him and started trying to take the suit off. I removed the faceplate, and saw that he was panicking. He began to flail around, and was ignoring my advice to stop moving so I could get the damn suit off.

Evelyn came over and held him down, and together we were able to get Xerosic's invention off our friend. She spitefully threw the pieces into the chasm and watched as they fell into the abyss.

"Thank you," said Caen, rubbing the back of his neck. He started to look drained.

"Oh my god, that was awful," said Evelyn, "We had just gotten into that car when the suit came out of nowhere and grabbed him."

Caen nodded, looking pale. He took his hand away from his neck. The slick, shiny blood on his fingers was clearly visible.

"Merde!" I said, running over to catch him as he fell. The wound on his neck was bleeding freely.

"What do we do?" asked Evelyn helplessly as I began to wrap Caen's neck with bandages. It looked like the suit had done this, inserting something into his neck. I had removed the helmet, not even noticing whatever it was.

"We need to get him to a hospital," I said. The bandage was going from white to red dangerously fast. "Are we closer to Geosenge or Lumiose?"

Evelyn pulled out her Holo Caster, and reported that we were closer to Lumiose, and that going back the way we had come was the fastest way to get to a hospital.

"Think can do another flight?" I asked Charizard. She nodded in determination.

* * *

><p>We told the doctors at the ER everything we knew, but they clearly didn't believe our bizarre story about a high-tech suit that could take over a person's actions. They clearly thought that we were lying about how Caen had been injured, but they still treated him and told us what they had done: flushed some chemical from his system that stopped his blood from clotting. Some doctor brought up that this chemical was used in Brain-Computer Interface, and started to believe our story, but no one else listened. After they finished doing that, the rest of the treatment was simple bandaging, and they discharged Caen the next day, still believing that we had lied to them. They told Caen that he just needed to keep the wound bandaged until it healed.<p>

I left Lumiose City Hospital for the second time. The last time I had been here, I had also just encountered Celosia. That was weeks ago, when I had gotten the stiches in my side removed. Goomy made a silly noise on my shoulder, and I smiled and rubbed his forehead jokingly.

We sat at a table outside of café Triste and ordered some breakfast even though it was closer to lunch time. We talked for a little while waiting for our order. Evelyn told Caen everything that we knew about Flare when he asked, and we speculated for a little bit about what they could be up to, coming up with increasingly dark ideas. Caen assured us that he was fine when we asked, and we talked about our plans from then on. He would go back to the Pokemon League and train on Victory Road, polishing his team before the tournament. The tournament's start date kept getting closer. Evelyn and I would go back to Couriway Town and travel to Snowbelle City and then the Pokemon League.

"What are Dominic and Liz doing now?" asked Caen.

Evelyn and I looked at each other. I had said that I would call them yesterday, but with the battle and then the fight with Flare I had completely forgotten.

"Um, we haven't spoken to them in about two weeks," said Evelyn. She looked a little confused about exactly how much time had passed. It was hard to keep track on the journey.

"Let's do it now," I said. I still felt guilty, but I really wanted to see my friends again. I took out my Holo Caster and selected Dominic's number from my shabby list that just contained Sycamore, Dominic, Evelyn, and Caen.

A few seconds later, a blue shape flickered into existence. "What's up, Wes?"

Caen and Evelyn leaned in and greeted him as well.

"Is Liz with you?" asked Evelyn.

"No, she's in Snowbelle City," he said. He looked tired but pretty good. His necklace, his Zangoose's claw, was reflecting some light source on his end and flashing in the projection. "She bought a Holo Caster. Here, I'll send you her number and patch her in."

My Holo Caster buzzed as it received her contact information and Liz appeared beside Dominic, the Holo Caster's display now split. She was wearing a heavy coat with a wooly hood, and there was snow falling all around her.

"Dominic, where are you now?" I asked, "We're in Lumiose."

"I'm on Route 16," he answered, "Everybody here is fishing, and somebody gave me an extra rod. Fishing here is kinda nice."

After that, there was a little bit of an awkward silence. Goomy made a sad noise on my shoulder, picking up on the mood. I noticed that Liz's Eevee wasn't on her shoulder. That was weird, since the little Normal Pokemon always seemed to be riding there.

Finally, Evelyn broke it. "Dominic, how are you?"

"I'm fine," he answered. He then picked up on what she was really trying to ask and answered the unspoken question as well. "I've taken the time to mourn and given my Pokemon respect. I'm going to compete in the League, since that was the dream we all shared. It's my way of honoring them. After that, I have some plans. If you want to talk more and travel together again, call me when you guys get to Victory Road and we can all climb it together."

"Good," I said, "I'm looking forward to it." He really did seem fine. I had no idea if I would be that composed after I had lost Pokemon. His speech also seemed prepared, like he had expected this call and planned for it.

"I'm glad you're doing okay," said Liz to Dominic. That was weird. I assumed she would know how he was doing. Had something happened between them? I wondered if that was why they were separated, and wondered what had happened after we had left them at Coumarine City. Evelyn also looked confused. It seemed like she was about to say something, but Liz cut her off.

"Wes, you're going to be in Snowbelle City soon, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just have to Fly back to Couriway Town and cross," I stopped for a second to check a map, "Grande Vallee Way. How long is that route?"

"It's not very long," she answered, "You should be able to get here by this afternoon. When you do, let's battle. I challenge you to a battle in front of the Snowbelle City Gym!"

"Sure," I said. Liz and I had battled a few times, the tag battle in Shalour City, some friendly competitions during our week in Lumiose, but we had never seriously battled one on one.

We all looked around in another awkward silence.

"Alright, then," said Evelyn, breaking it again, "We'll see you at Snowbelle City, Liz. And we'll meet you at Victory Road, Dominic."

We all nodded or murmured some agreement at her words. Dominic and Liz gave each other awkward looks, and I wondered what that was about. After that, they hung up and their images disappeared.

"Okay," said Caen, "You two should probably get going, right?"

"Are you sure you'll be okay, man?" I asked, gesturing to the bandages on the back of his neck.

"I'll be fine," he said, waving dismissively, "Remember what the doctors said? It looks a lot worse than it is."

I nodded, accepting his answer. We got up from the table and walked to a wide-open plaza with a yellow monument in the center, where some girls were talking about some lava Pokemon. Evelyn and I sent out Tropius and Charizard, both of whom had enjoyed a good night of sleep and were ready to Fly again. I returned Goomy and took my place on Charizard, and she kicked off the ground with jarring force, her wings churning the air furiously to gain altitude.

I waved to Caen as Evelyn took off beside me. Caen craned his neck to look up at us and started to fall, but managed to catch his balance by holding onto a nearby bench.

As we flew back to Couriway Town, I looked down, making out the shape of a city entirely covered in white and snow beneath us. That was probably Snowbelle City, our destination.

Charizard and Tropius landed in front of the Pokemon Center. I returned my Fire Pokemon and then started to shiver. I looked at Evelyn, who was freezing cold as well, and we both ran inside the Pokemon Center to change into our winter clothes again. I pulled on my navy and orange jacket and slipped all of my Pokeballs into its pockets. Evelyn came out of her changing room a few minutes later, wearing her dark jacket and bright green scarf.

We walked south, past waterfalls and the Town's small hotel, to the gate to Grande Vallee Way.

"Did you see how Dominic and Liz looked at each other?" asked Evelyn, adjusting her scarf.

"Yeah," I said, "That was weird."

"Something happened," said Evelyn.

I nodded. "You can ask Liz what it was if you want to, but I'm not sure I really want to know. Those two usually get along so well. Whatever it was, it has to be pretty big."

Evelyn agreed with me. "I'm actually really curious right now," she admitted.

We walked through the gate to Grande Vallee Way. On the other side, a path with a huge valley of marshland greeted us. There was a bridge that led across the wetland, though. I looked down. This was a different kind of marsh than Laverre Trail, and instead of dark brown water and dying trees everything here was green and lush.

"Let's just cross the bridge," I suggested. I had already had enough of swamps.

Evelyn agreed. We battled a few other trainers on the way. When I was battling a strange girl with wild hair and a Pumpkaboo, Goomy learned a new move. I recognized it as Rain Dance, the move that Caen's Clawitzer liked to use, and pulled up the hood on my jacket, not wanting to get wet on this cold route. Goomy finished off Pumpkaboo with a powerful Dragonbreath and jumped back on my shoulder, proud of himself.

We crossed the bridge, looking down at the green, murky wetland below, and then walked through the gate into Snowbelle City, where my final Gym challenge was waiting.


	34. Chapter 34: Winters

Chapter 34

* * *

><p>The layer of fresh snow gently cushioned my footfalls, too fragile even to make a crunch. Flurries of the white powder fell aimlessly around, clumping onto trees, signs, railings, and the sloped roofs of the small, warm houses.<p>

Snowbelle City seemed to mark the end of the cold Eastern region of Kalos. It was colder here there Vallee Grande Way and Anistar City, but past the frozen hill of the City the temperature gradually warmed back up until it was back to the warm, Lumiose City temperatures that tourists loved. Both the path leading west out of the city and the forest to the south looked noticeably warmer.

The Gym was downhill, below the rest of the City, sunken into a shallow pit. Freezing air seemed to emanate from its walls. Liz had challenged me to a battle in front of it, so I decided to stop by the Pokemon Center to heal my team first.

Evelyn and I quickly healed our Pokemon. She went back over to the PC, telling me she wanted to use a TM.

"Ludicolo really needs a new move," she explained, "He's growing really well, but the battle we had made me realize he needs to learn something new."

Our battle had been yesterday, but in all the chaos I guess she had just forgotten to do it.

"Let's see," she said absently, rifling through her TM case, which was full of green-colored discs and had few other colors, "Here it is." She took out a TM and inserted it into the disc drive, sending out Ludicolo so that he could learn the move. _Solarbeam, _the monitor read.

"What's Solarbeam?" I asked.

"It's one of the most powerful Grass moves," she explained, "But it takes a while to charge except in sunlight. Ludicolo's species generally is the strongest in the rain, but I think it's a good idea to have him be prepared for anything. If it doesn't work out, I can always teach him a new one."

I nodded as the technology activated, bathing Ludicolo in the glow of the move. Ludicolo began to absorb sunlight, causing Evelyn to yell, "Not in here!" and return him quickly.

I stared at her, confused.

"He can't use the move in here or there would be major devastation," she said, "He'll have to practice later. But first, you have a battle against Liz, right?"

We walked out of the Pokemon Center and down the frozen slopes to in front of the Gym, where Liz was waiting. She had her hands in the pockets of her red winter coat and its fuzzy hood up around her head. A blue Pokemon that I didn't recognize was nuzzling her leg gently.

"Hey, Liz!" I called.

"Wes!" she shouted, running over and hugging me. When she finally let me go, she rushed over to Evelyn, who squeaked in panic. She waved to Goomy, who was riding on my shoulder as usual, when she finished squeezing Evelyn.

"I'm so glad to see the two of you again," she said with a warm smile. Something rubbed against my shin. I looked down to see the large, clear eyes of the blue Pokemon, who was wagging its tail happily. It looked kind of like one of Liz's other Pokemon. "Meet Glaceon," she continued, "Eevee finally evolved."

"You weren't waiting here since our call earlier, right?" I asked. I hoped that she hadn't been standing in the cold for two hours, just waiting for me.

"No, I just got here," she said, "Well, let's catch up later. Right now, I challenge you to a battle, Wes! Three on three!"

"Sure," I said. "Let's go!"

"I'll referee," said Evelyn. We both agreed, not particularly caring.

"Glaceon, go," said Evelyn. Her Pokemon made a crystalline bark that reminded me of chiming ice and raced out in front of her.

Glaceon definitely looked like an Ice Pokemon, so I sent out Charizard.

"Are you ready to battle?" I asked her. She had done a lot of Flying lately and I didn't want her to be exhausted. She turned back to me and nodded happily.

"Glaceon versus Charizard! First Round!" called Evelyn, "Begin!"

"Frost Breath!" shouted Liz.

Glaceon smirked and breathed on Charizard, a barrage of white, bone-freezing air, chilling my Pokemon and forming ice on her wings. Charizard roared angrily as the move seemed to hit a critical spot on her wings and she fell to the ground.

"Charizard!" I called, "Flame Burst!"

As Charizard prepared the move, her body temperature started to rise and the frozen patches on her wings melted. As she blew a blast of spreading fire at Glaceon, Liz returned her Pokemon and sent out a different one to take her place.

"Houndoom, let's go!" shouted Liz.

"Liz substitutes Pokemon!" announced Evelyn, "Charizard versus Houndoom!"

The move hit Houndoom but seemed to do no damage, only making the fire in Houndoom's eyes stronger.

"He evolved from that Houndour I took from the stupid Flare guy," explained Liz, "Did you see that? His ability is Flash Fire. It draws in all Fire type moves from the opponent to increase the power of the Pokemon's own Fire type moves." Suddenly, she stopped talking and looked at us apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you already knew that."

"It's okay," I said. I actually had learned a lot so far, but I hadn't known that, and it was nice to hear facts that could help me later. "Charizard, return." I decided to save her for battling Glaceon later and send in someone else. "Fraxure, showtime!"

"Wes also substitutes Pokemon!" announced Evelyn, "Fraxure versus Houndoom!"

"Beat up!" ordered Liz.

Houndoom lunged onto my Dragon type Pokemon and assaulted her mercilessly. He snarled viciously as he backed away, liquid flame dripping like drool from one of the corners of his mouth.

"Dragon Dance!" I called.

Fraxure struggled to her feet and pounded the ground angrily, summoning bands of crimson and black power that encircled her.

"Inferno!" called Liz.

Houndoom roared and the white, bonelike spines on his back lit with red fire, which spread in a circle to trap Fraxure and burn her.

"Fraxure?" I asked, shocked at just how savage the attack was. Even when it finished, Fraxure was obviously severely burned by the move. "Are you okay to keep going?" Fraxure looked back at me and nodded, pride and something else surging in her eyes. "Okay then. Dual Chop! Burn it!"

Fraxure breathed fire onto her hands and lit them with a purple fire that seemed to soothe the places where she was burned by the Inferno. I wasn't sure how that worked, but her fire was definitely better on her skin than the opposing Houndoom's.

"Houndoom, return!" decided Liz, "Go, Mawile!"

"Liz substitutes her Pokemon again," said Evelyn, sounding slightly annoyed, "This time it's Fraxure versus Mawile!"

Liz's Steel Pokemon appeared in the circle of light from the Pokemon, spinning into a graceful bow as Liz caught the Pokeball. Mawile stared at Fraxure, unimpressed, and allowing Fraxure's move to fail against her.

"Not again," I said.

Liz shrugged apologetically. "I really want to win this. I just got my Iceberg Badge and I need some good training for the Pokemon League. Mawile, Iron Head!"

Mawile nodded and rushed at Fraxure, jumping elegantly into the air and spinning rapidly so that the huge jaws behind her head slammed full-force into Fraxure.

I cheered for Fraxure, who seemed unusually dedicated in this battle, but she fainted anyway.

"Fraxure is unable to battle!" ruled Evelyn.

I returned Fraxure and sent out Charizard.

"Charizard versus Mawile!" called Evelyn.

"Mawile, let's begin!" called Liz. She pulled a necklace with her keystone out from inside her coat and closed her right hand around it, keeping it close to her heart. Mawile, who had been holding her Mega Stone the whole time in one hand, did the same. Coils of energy connected them, and they started to glow brightly in the snow.

Charizard turned back to me expectantly, and I threw her the Charizardite Y, which is what she was obviously wanting. She smiled and caught it and we Mega Evolved as well. As Charizard unfurled her huge, orange wings, the sun started to burn brightly overhead and peeked through the clouds of the snowstorm. Goomy cheered for Charizard and started flopping around on my shoulder.

Charizard and I used Flame Burst, but Liz returned Mawile and once again sent out Houndoom.

"Okay, guys, I'm not even going to call all the substitutions anymore," said Evelyn, giving up as Houndoom's Flash Fire soaked up the Flame Burst.

"Inferno!" called Liz, and Houndoom replied readily, the fires on his back even larger this time, spreading out to drown Charizard in heat. The Fire move, boosted beyond belief, wrecked Charizard and knocked her out.

"Charizard is unable to battle!" said Evelyn, staring at Charizard, just as shocked as I was.

"Okay, Flygon, your turn—," I began, but suddenly Goomy jumped off my shoulder and raced onto the battlefield. "What? You want to battle?" I asked incredulously. In this three on three battle, Liz still had all of her Pokemon left and I would only have one. Flygon seemed like a better choice than Goomy for my last, but my smallest Pokemon seemed to really want to battle. "Okay, then. Go for it!"

"Wes sends out his final Pokemon! Goomy versus Houndoom!" announced Evelyn.

"Muddy Water!" I called, noting how the small patch of sunlight that Charizard had created when she Mega Evolved had already faded and been eaten by the snowstorm.

Houndoom looked shocked at the tide of murky water that rose out of nowhere and Liz and Evelyn immediately moved to get out of its way themselves. Houndoom fainted at the super effective Water move and slumped into the now brown snow. Goomy made a noise of triumph and seemed to start glowing, though it could have just been a trick of the light in the snowstorm.

"Ew," said Liz, stepping on a patch of muddy snow, "This is just like that swamp between Laverre and Lumiose." Goomy looked pretty offended at her insult to his home. He was in a bad position now, Liz's two remaining Pokemon were a Fairy type and an Ice type. "Go, Glaceon!"

"Goomy versus Glaceon!" called Evelyn.

Liz threw a Pokeball, releasing Glaceon onto the muddy snow. Liz's Pokemon narrowed its eyes and focused, and the temperature dropped visibly around her. The damp mud froze over wherever Glaceon's feet touched it, leaving tiny footsteps of ice.

"Dragonbreath!" I called. Goomy shot a stream of hazy red plasma onto Glaceon, making the Ice type hiss in protest.

"Frost Breath!" shouted Liz.

"Dodge it!" I called, watching Glaceon draw back her head, preparing the move, "Use Dragonbreath!"

Goomy hurriedly slugged out of the way and blasted Glaceon again.

"Finish this, Glaceon!" shouted Liz, "Frost Breath! Overwhelm it!"

"Goomy!" I yelled, watching as Glaceon smirked and unleashed a cold front on my little Pokemon, covering him in ice. He winced and his eyes started to close. "No! Don't give up! I believe in you!"

"Goomy is unable to battle!" announced Evelyn, "The winner is—Wait, what's happening?"

The ice surrounding Goomy started to sparkle, reflecting light from somewhere. I looked closer to see that Goomy was glowing, and his eyes were opening again, filled with determination. Rings of power formed around Goomy, forming an impromptu barrier that shielded him from Glaceon's deluge of cold air.

Evelyn, Liz and I watched as the rings of power surrounding Goomy funneled their power into twisting streams of glowing white energy that shot up into the sky, glowing threads of white power that jumped and crossed like elongated sparks. Goomy started to grow and change as something surreal glowed from above, where the streams of power were discharging into the sky.

Blasts of pure, white energy blasted down from the sky like comets, smashing into Glaceon and knocking her out.

"Draco Meteor?" asked Liz with a tone of disbelief.

"Great job, Goo-," I was about to congratulate Goomy on his victory and new move when I looked back at him to see that he looked different. He was taller. His eyes were now bigger, green instead of tiny dots of black, and he had some kind of shell on his back. He also had grown arms and was waving at me happily.

"He evolved into Sliggoo," said Liz, "Wes, when did you teach him Draco Meteor?"

"I didn't," I said, "That's the first time I've seen him use it." Sliggoo ran over to me and tried to hug me, which kind of failed due to his short arms. "You're amazing, Sliggoo," I said to my newly evolved Pokemon.

"He learned Draco Meteor all on his own?" asked Liz, "That's extremely rare. Usually, that move is taught by extremely skilled move tutors. I can't believe that a Pokemon figured out how to use it without a tutor. It's one of the strongest Dragon type moves in existence—I mean, do you want to hear about it? I don't want to just ramble on here and annoy the two you."

"Yeah, sure," I said, "Tell me about it." I was curious to learn about the new move.

"Draco Meteor is a Dragon Type move with incredible power and pretty good accuracy," she recited, "It is usually learned with the help of a move tutor. It's very powerful, but it has a severe drawback. It cuts the power of the user's long-range moves in half after use."

"Thanks for telling me," I said. "We should finish the battle now, right?"

Liz readied a Pokeball, frowning. A Mega Evolved Steel and Fairy type against a weakened, half-powered Dragon type wasn't much of a battle, and we both knew it. She was definitely going to win. "Mawile, um… Just finish it, okay? Don't go too hard. Play Rough!"

Mawile nodded and danced over to Sliggoo, knocking him out with the Fairy move.

"The winner is Mawile!" called Evelyn, "The match goes to Liz!"

"Great Job, Sliggoo," I said. Evelyn shook her head when I reached to give her some prize money, refusing to take it like we usually did when we battled with friends.

"Congratulations on the evolution," said Liz, "And the new move."

"Thanks," I said, "That was a good battle. Eevee finally evolved!"

"Yeah," replied Liz, laughing, "It happened on Route 17, by this icy pillar of rock."

"Route 17," said Evelyn, "God, I hated that place. It was way too cold."

"Yeah, I was with a Mamoswine caravan, and this woman got separated from the group, so we had to spend two days looking for her," said Liz. Evelyn and I wore matching looks of disgust at the idea of spending two extra days in that icebound land.

The three of us walked back to the Pokemon Center, ready to heal the Pokemon who had just fought. Liz told us about battling Wulfric, the Gym Leader here, who appropriately specialized in training Ice type Pokemon.

After our Pokemon were healed, we went to a café for lunch. I was planning on challenging Wulfric later in the afternoon, but for now it was time to eat and catch up with Liz. Sliggoo wanted to ride on my shoulder, which was a little awkward now that he had grown, but the weather was too cold for him so I returned him to his Pokeball. Charizard was following us around as usual, but the waiter at the café requested that I return her, so Liz's Glaceon was the only Pokemon left out with us.

We sat on the café's open porch, bundled up in jackets and watching the weather outside, which had escalated from a gentle snowfall to a howling blizzard. Liz's Glaceon curled up around her feet and closed her eyes. The waiter gave us free hot chocolate, saying it was on the house since it was so cold.

"What happened with you and Dominic?" asked Evelyn, "You know, after we left."

I took a sip of the hot chocolate, but it was scalding hot and I whined as it burned my tongue, causing both Evelyn and Liz to stare at me. "It's hot," I mumbled with a swollen tongue, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, it was awkward," said Liz, "I tried to convince him to come back, but he wasn't going to. So, for the first two days I was just there with him while he mourned."

I nodded. While she had been doing that, I had been fighting for my life in the Lost Hotel.

"Then, on the third day, I tried again," she continued, "I should have just given up, but, I didn't. I mean, I really should have. I made him so angry. He was screaming at me with rage and I was pretty terrified. He couldn't stand how I was always trying to control people, to tell them what to think with all of my facts and lessons and to force them to do things with my stubbornness." Her voice became a little weak here, but she kept talking. "I think I ignited all of his anger over the deaths, and he was taking it all out on me."

I leaned forward and took another sip of the hot chocolate, which had actually cooled a lot by now in the frigid air. Liz paused for a minute as the waiter brought us our lunch. Evelyn and I had ordered a hot soup, and Liz had requested a sandwich which looked really delicious.

"After that, I ran away in panic, but he found me later and apologized. It was really my fault, though, for pressuring him into coming back to the journey. He was right, he needed to take time for his Pokemon. Anyway, after that we kissed for some reason and then everything was really awkward, so I left."

"What?" I exclaimed, sputtering on my hot chocolate, "You kissed him?"

Evelyn's eyes grew huge as swallowed a spoonful of soup.

"More like he kissed me, I think," said Liz, looking uncomfortable, "Anyway, it was awkward."

"Do you like him?" asked Evelyn.

"I mean, I don't know, I guess," Liz answered, looking intently at her sandwich, "But he was so mixed up after losing his Pokemon. He had just been screaming at me earlier that day. I had no idea what he was thinking."

"I'm pretty sure he likes you," I said, "Remember all the times you two used to ditch us and go off on your own?"

"I'm not going to do this now," decided Liz, "Even if he does like me, even if we should get together, now is not the time to do it. I'm feeling really awkward talking about this. What have you two been up to?"

I looked at Evelyn, who stared back at me. "So much."

I told her about what happened with Chandler and the Lost Hotel, and she was completely shocked. Since me having Bagon was what had allowed her to go and catch her Mawile, she owed the start of her journey to the Solfanaria gang too. After that, we told her about staying in Dendemille Town with Caen and battling Flare at Frost Cavern. Then we told her about Route 17, and my Gym Battle, and returning to Lumiose City to fight Flare.

"It was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me," admitted Evelyn, "I really thought I was going to die. I couldn't believe it when Wes came out of nowhere and saved me at the last minute."

"Was Caen okay?" asked Liz.

We told her about what the doctor had said, and the whole concept of the Expansion Suit seemed to fascinate her. However, we didn't know that much about it, so our conversation soon turned to speculation about what Flare could be planning.

"So one of them thought that their cargo was a legendary Pokemon," repeated Liz, "And the other one thought it was a power source."

"Whatever it was, it was heavy," I said, "It took around twenty of them to carry it."

"And it wasn't moving at all," said Evelyn, "If it was a Pokemon, it wasn't conscious."

"It still could be a Pokemon," continued Liz, "If that man—he was one of the scientists, right?" She paused and I nodded. "If he was correct about it being a legendary Pokemon, it could be in stasis. In the ancient legends of Kalos, once Xerneas or Yveltal reach the end of their life cycle, they become objects, a tree of life and a cocoon of death."

Evelyn and I listened. What Liz was saying made me think of what Bryony and Mable had said in Frost Cavern.

"Could Flare have really found Xerneas or Yveltal?" asked Evelyn, "I thought those Pokemon were just legends."

"If they are real, I don't want to see what Flare's planning to do with them," I said, "Can you imagine what they would do with the power of life or death?"

Evelyn shuddered at the thought, and Liz scowled. I finished the last drop of my hot chocolate and we paid and left the café.

We went back to the Gym, but a Gym Trainer told us that Wulfric wasn't there, and he had gone to the Winding Woods. They had no idea when he would get back. We decided to go look for him.

Winding Woods was a densely forested path to the south of the city, where the canopy of trees grew so thick overhead that it blocked out the light entirely in some areas. It was freezing cold here, although there was a conspicuous lack of snow.

Along the way, we battled people and wild Pokemon. Sliggoo practiced his new move Draco Meteor, destroying a fair amount of random trees while he tried to figure out how to aim it with pinpoint accuracy. Evelyn's Ludicolo practiced his new Solarbeam, which also proved pretty devastating and hard to control. More than once, Charizard had to swoop in and block a move before it could hit us or the opposing trainers, and she got increasingly angry with the two of them as we stumbled through the woods.

Liz was clearly distracted by something, but she wouldn't tell me what it was. I suspected that it had something to do with Dominic. Evelyn was fascinated with the beauty and resilience of the forest and the Grass Pokemon here who resisted the cold so well. I just wanted to find Wulfric quickly. The sun was setting, and if I didn't find him now the Gym would close for the day and I'd have to battle him tomorrow.

The woods ended up ahead, and I could see a field of flowers with a river through the gap in the trees, which seemed brighter. I walked out and was blinded by the light for a second, seeing the idyllic and much warmer field, framed by the river. A huge man with a sizeable gut, a dignified beard, and a puffy blue jacket tied around his neck was talking to a wild Pokemon.

"Wulfric!" called Liz.

"Oh, you!" he said, turning around to speak to her, "You're that great trainer who beat me earlier! Liz, right? And you brought friends!"

"Yes," she answered.

"What is this place?" asked Evelyn, looking around. Pokemon were all around, living in the field, in the trees, in the caves behind, in the impromptu huts and scavenged hammocks.

"This place here? Welcome to the Pokemon Village," he began, "This place is a secret, y'know? Most of the Pokémon here are runaways-escaped from bad people who did awful things to them. It's a shame how many heartless Trainers who can't bother to care for their Pokémon are out there. Some of those Pokémon, though... Some of 'em are just too strong and found they didn't really have a place in the outside world, so they came here."

I smiled as a wild Zorua leapt out of nowhere and started dancing around me. Charizard and Sliggoo wandered over and began interacting with some of the wild Pokemon.

"Sometimes I get worried and come here to check on everyone. Oh-excuse my manners. Liz already knows me, but the rest of us haven't even had a proper introduction yet. The name's Wulfric," he said, "I'm usually over at the Gym in Snowbelle City, since I'm the Gym Leader and all. Let me guess-you two want to challenge me?"

"I'm Wes," I said, "I'm here for my last badge."

"Oh, congratulations on getting seven badges! It should be a fun battle," he said, "What about you?"

"I'm not here to challenge you," explained Evelyn, "I'm Evelyn, the Coumarine City Gym Leader's apprentice. I just want to train with you if you have the time."

"Oh, you're Ramos's apprentice!" he said, "That's great! It's always nice to see fresh talent filling the ranks. You know, Clemont just became a Gym Leader recently."

"I've met him," replied Evelyn, "We trained together."

"So how's Ramos making you prove yourself?" asked Wulfric genially, "The two of us are old friends—emphasis on 'old' now, I'm afraid. Let me guess: he wants you to prove yourself by defeating him? And he isn't going to hold back at all?"

"Yes, actually," said Evelyn.

"Well, that's Ramos for you," said Wulfric, "Obsessed with making everything an all-out battle, from sculpture to Pokemon breeding to gardening. Y'know what? How about you and I have a practice battle to get you prepared for that? I know you've trained with the other Gym Leaders, but this one will be more serious."

"Sure," said Evelyn, "That sounds great!"

"That's the spirit! Let's have a Rotation battle. That should put your strategic thinking skills to the test," he decided, "Anyway, it's getting dark outside, so I have to go back to Snowbelle. Let's have our Rotation battle tomorrow morning. And I haven't forgotten about you. Wes, right? I'll take your challenge right after I battle with her."

Evelyn and I agreed as the sun sank lower. Wulfric left and after we explored the Pokemon Village for a bit, allowing our Sliggoo and Ludicolo to practice their new moves against the high-level opponents here, we went back to Snowbelle City.

The Nurse didn't mind letting us sleep at the Pokemon Center since it was so cold, and she brought out thick blankets for the three of us. I closed my eyes, thinking about strategies for battling Ice Pokemon, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

A tiny green Pokemon was staring into my eyes, its huge blue ones open.

_So this is the day it all began—oh, I do apologize. I suppose it seems to you like it has been many days since our last meeting, although we technically haven't met yet. The human concept of time is so annoying._

I looked around. I vaguely recognized the area I was in. It a hill near a small path surrounded with trees. In the distance, I could recognize the shape of an all-too-familiar building, instantly recognizable from seeing it over and over covered in flame. Even though it wasn't burning now, I knew its shape. That was my house.

_Yes, it is. This is a dream, I suppose. I'm intersecting your mind at multiple instances of time, so I apologize if it becomes disorienting. _

Two figures stood on the hill near us. Both were blond with blue eyes like mine. A girl of about fourteen was standing straight up, staring at the house with fear and apprehension, while a little boy of about three ran around her legs, chasing a Snorunt and laughing.

_That is you. Or was you, I suppose._

I looked back at the little green Pokemon and then down at my own form. We were little more than shadows, visitors here, while I ran around the girl as a toddler, blissfully ignorant of whatever was on her mind.

_So she had reasons for what she did, although you still don't know them._

"What is going on?" I asked. I had gathered that we were in some kind of memory, but I didn't know much more, "Who are you? What are we doing here?"

_I'm judging your worthiness. You're only here because of a slight connection between your mind now and your mind then. Perhaps you recently met her again, and your subconscious is struggling to remember her. I navigate time based on memories, and I suppose your mind now must have similar thoughts to what I'm looking for._

"I still don't understand," I said. The girl was familiar. Since this was a memory, maybe she was my older sister who had died in the fire. But if she was. there was no way I could have met her recently. And who was this little Pokemon who could look through my memories and navigate time?

_Well, I have what I came for. She had good reasons, although her actions were inexcusable. And now she regrets what she did and is trying to run from it, but she is also planning to do something almost exactly like it again, although this time the scale will be much larger. You're still confused? Don't worry. You will know all soon._

The little Pokemon faded from my mind and the memory distorted into the fragments of a dream. I saw the girls's blue eyes widen in fear before being sealed away behind a strip of glowing purple and suddenly she and the little boy who had been me and the laughing Pokemon faded. The house burst into flames. I woke up, panting, with my heart racing, yet again.


	35. Chapter 35: Badges

Chapter 35

* * *

><p>"Ferrothorn, Power Whip!"<p>

Evelyn shouted a command to her Grass and Steel type Pokemon, who responded by violently swinging his appendage, which was glowing with the power of the move, and smashed apart the ice-encrusted rock. I watched the powder from the rock's destruction fly into the air and mingle with the gentle, early-morning snow shower.

I watched as Evelyn trained, sharing a pastry with Sliggoo and Charizard. They had already eaten with the rest of the team, but Charizard's mouth had started watering when I ordered the pastry from the café during breakfast so I had to share it with her. Sliggoo had of course wanted to try as well, and now we were on our second pastry.

Liz sat beside me, almost offering facts and then cutting herself off at the last moment. I assured her that wouldn't freak out like Dominic had and she was free to share her facts, but she ignored me and kept stupidly interrupting herself.

"Alright, I think we're ready," said Evelyn, returning Ferrothorn. We made our way to the Gym for Evelyn's battle.

The Snowbelle City Gym was not as cold I had expected it to be. The walls were covered in solid cubes of ice, and cold air was pouring off of vents in the ceiling and behind the far wall in sheets of heavy, white air, but as far as cold places go, it was nothing near Route 17. Wulfric had been waiting, and he reconfigured the Gym so that a path formed from the entrance to the battlefield, allowing us to bypass the spinning platforms that were this Gym's challenge. I knew I would have to solve it later during my Gym challenge, but now the three of us could walk over it.

Wulfric waved to us as we approached, directing Evelyn to a spot opposite his on the battlefield and Liz and I to a spot on the stairs where we could watch.

"This will be a three on three Rotation battle! You know the rules of a Rotation battle, right? All three Pokemon will be out at once, but only one can attack and defend at a time, so pick carefully!" Wulfric announced.

"I'm ready!" called Evelyn in response.

"You know, we all talk big about what you can learn from battling and bonds and all that, but really, I just do it 'cause it's fun. When you're a Gym leader, always be thinking about that: whether you and your Pokemon are having fun. Because a true team doesn't just battle together, they laugh together!" proclaimed Wulfric, "Anyway, my grandstanding's over now. Let's get to battling!"

"Go! Ferrothorn, Chesnaught, and Ludicolo!" called Evelyn, throwing three Pokeballs.

"She picked well," said Liz to me, "None of her Pokemon are weak to Ice moves. Their secondary typing cancels their weakness—sorry, Wes."

"No, it's okay," I said, shaking my head, "I promise. You can talk all you want."

"Walrein, Abomasnow, Avalugg! Let's have a blast!" shouted Wulfric.

I recognized Abomasnow. Evelyn and I had met another one of that species at the Frost Cavern, but his other two Pokemon were ones I had never seen before. Avalugg was huge, a titanic beast who looked like it was a living ice sculpture. Walrein looked like an aquatic creature, its huge tusks glinting with sharpness. I assumed that it was part Water type.

Abomasnow roared and snow began to fall on the battlefield, buffeting Evelyn's Pokemon.

"Let's get this party started! Avalugg, front and center! Get ready!" shouted Wulfric, and his massive Pokemon lumbered to the front.

"Ferrothorn! Iron Head!" called Evelyn.

"Take it and use Avalanche!" countered Wulfric.

Ferrothorn launched himself at Avalugg, but the Ice Pokemon's massive defense allowed it to shrug off even the highly effective Steel move and then planted its feet in the icy battlefield, roaring up at the ceiling and summoning a cascade of ice that smashed down toward Ferrothorn.

"Chesnaught, your turn! Spiky Shield!" called Evelyn. Ferrothorn cowered back as Chesnaught rushed into the path of the move and created a shield.

The battle continued like that, with Evelyn and Wulfric rotating their Pokemon and countering each other's strategies. Ferrothorn, Avalugg, and Walrein showed off their incredible defenses, tanking moves that made the Gym shake and the ice crack. Abomasnow and Chesnaught demonstrated incredible power, rotating in to provide the moves that made the platform shake. Ludicolo appeared every now and then with tricky combinations, occasionally turning the hail that swept the battlefield into bright light and delivering rapid Solarbeams. Walrein fainted first, then Ludicolo. Finally, it was just Abomasnow and Chesnaught.

"Outrage!" called Wulfric. Abomasnow's eyes glowed with pure rage and it rushed at Chesnaught. We had all been a little surprised when Abomasnow had first used that move. Wulfric had explained that a move tutor in the Unova region had helped him with it.

As Abomasnow thrashed around, damaging Chesnaught massively, Evelyn called a Hammer Arm. Chesnaught struggled against Abomasnow's writhing form, finally slamming it with a thorny arm and finishing the match.

Chesnaught stood, panting and about to collapse, over the form of Abomasnow. Evelyn had won.

"Great job!" shouted Wulfric, returning Abomasnow, "You're outstanding! You and your Pokemon are brilliant and strong, but also know how to smile together. I would be more than honored to call you a fellow Gym Leader."

Evelyn smiled, slightly overwhelmed by his heartfelt praise. She ran out and hugged Chesnaught as the huge Grass Pokemon fell to one knee and then returned the hardworking victor.

Liz and I walked down from the staircase and congratulated her as well.

"That was the best I've ever seen you battle," I said, "I think you're ready to take on Ramos."

Evelyn smiled, looking confident and accomplished. We left the Gym to go to the Pokemon Center and heal Evelyn's Pokemon and get lunch.

As we sat at the café and I ordered another pastry for Sliggoo and Charizard as well as the same soup that I had for lunch yesterday.

As we were eating, our Holo Casters buzzed. We took them out and they began projecting Dominic's image.

"Hey," he began, "Just checking in. I just beat Grant and got my last badge. How are you guys doing?"

"I'll be battling Wulfric for my last badge this afternoon," I said.

Liz looked down, not knowing what to say to him.

"So after Wes's battle, you want to meet up at Victory Road, right?" asked Evelyn.

"Yeah," he answered, "I'll be there—how about this evening? We can all camp out there and climb it tomorrow. It's not as cold as where you are, I promise."

"Sounds good," I said.

"You better be there. So don't lose, Wes!" he said. He stopped briefly and glanced at Liz, wanting to say something. But he didn't. "See you there."

His transparent blue image faded, and Evelyn and I both looked accusingly at Liz.

"You should have said something to him," said Evelyn.

Liz shrugged and changed the subject. "So, Wes, it's about time for your battle, right?"

* * *

><p>"Charizard, let's go!" I called, throwing her Mega Stone to her. I put Salamence's Pokeball away in my pocket. He had managed to defeat Wulfric's Cryogonal despite the type disadvantage, so even though he had just been knocked out by Avalugg, he had still impressed me. I then closed my hands around the Mega Stone and began to focus.<p>

_This is our last badge, Charizard! Let's do this!_

_I'm with you, Wes. I'll give it all I have._

Charizard roared and unfurled her wings, creating a harsh glare that reflected off of the square panes that I had struggled through on my way here.

"A Mega Evolution user, huh? Well, this should be fun. Crunch!" called Wulfric, and Avalugg bit Charizard's wing and shook its head violently, throwing her into a nearby wall.

I winced as she hit the icy surface and began to slide down to the floor, but soon she was back in the air, flapping her wings and returning to the battlefield.

"Flame Burst!" I called.

Charizard spat trailing tendrils of fire, knocking out Avalugg. Two down. Just one left.

"Well done," congratulated Wulfric, "But I still have one last Pokemon. Go, Glalie! Let's show them what we can do!" The Pokemon appeared, glaring at Charizard with its terrifyingly huge eyes.

Wulfric touched the locket that was hanging around his neck and closed his eyes. Ropes of energy trailed from him to Glalie. The two of them burned brightly as we had, and Glalie exploded with power. Red, threatening slits now formed at the center of its eyes, and it was almost like its jaw had been destroyed in the Mega Evolution, because now there was a gaping space where its lower jaw had been. A horn, black mixed with clear blue ice, jutted from the middle of its head.

"Hail!" began Wulfric.

The pit at the back of Glalie's mouth glowed blue and the bright light Charizard had created faded instantly, replaced by a swirling gale of snow.

"Flame Burst!" I called.

"Ice Beam!" he countered.

Glalie blasted a subzero ray of cold, cutting through the Flame Burst and knocking Charizard into the wall once again, encrusting her with ice.

"Get free!" I yelled, "Fire Fang!"

Charizard melted the ice surrounding her and swooped in to bite Glalie with a fiery mouth, but Wulfric called another Ice Beam and knocked her out. She fell from the air, in the middle of the glittering hailstorm, and I switched the Pokeball to recall mode and swept the beam over her.

I glanced at his Mega Glalie while my hands traveled over my pockets and I debated which Pokemon to send in next. I hadn't seen a Gym Leader who could use Mega Evolution next, and honestly the Ice Pokemon's power was terrifying. It was probably a good idea to send in Ampharos, but I couldn't Mega Evolve him or he would gain a weakness to Ice moves. But then again, all of my other Pokemon had the same weakness. I had battled with Salamence and Charizard so far. Who should I send in as a third?

Suddenly, I got an idea. It might be stupid, but having my last Gym battle with the first three Pokemon I had caught seemed fitting. "Fraxure, let's finish this! Dragon Dance!" Evelyn cheered from above, while Liz looked very concerned about the bad type matchup. It was kind of crazy, but I believed in Fraxure.

"Glalie, Ice Beam!" shouted Wulfric, sweat dripping on his face even though it was cold.

"Dodge it!" I called. "Dual Chop! Burn it!"

Fraxure finished her boosting move and then used her enhanced speed to get out of the way of the burst of cold, which sped by her and hit a spotlight behind Wulfric, creating a white, opaque covering of ice over the circle of light. She lit her claws on fire and charged at Glalie, jumping to the air to smash the floating Ice Pokemon twice with her move that burned violet.

Glalie roared in outrage and the entire Gym became colder. My fingers, which had been clutching Fraxure's Pokeball, started to burn at the pain of touching the now-freezing metal.

"This was a great battle, but it's time to finish it! Sheer Cold!" yelled Wulfric.

"No!" screamed Liz, "Don't let it hit!"

Glalie blasted what could only be described as pure cold around itself. The move had frightened power, and Wulfric and I both had to scramble to avoid being caught in the wave of white and grey.

"Fraxure! Avoid it! Dual Chop!" I called.

Fraxure jumped up as far as she could, desperate to dodge the move, but the wave of Sheer Cold hit her anyway, throwing her into the battlefield wall and freezing her solid. The ice reflected the spotlight's beams, making it look like she was glowing.

I sighed and raised her Pokeball, ready to return her. Glalie hovered up, completely exhausted and drained by the battle. One more move would have finished it off. I had been so close…

"Don't be down," said Wulfric, "You did great!" He was about to say something else when a loud crack that sounded like shattering ice distracted him.

I looked on as the ice surrounding Fraxure cracked, exploded into pieces, and started orbiting her along with the white rings of force that encircled her body. She started to roar, louder than ever, and she began to run, swinging a tail that was growing longer.

She bellowed as her tusks changed shape, curving around her head in a threatening crescent formation, and her hands burst into flame without her even breathing on them, glowing a bright blue. She used an echoing Dual Chop, slamming Glalie relentlessly and finishing it.

Finally, the energy cleared and she threw her new neck back and howled in triumph. Her golden armor glinted in the spotlight's glow, contrasting with her dark underbelly, while the red highlights on her claws and tusks practically gleamed. I relaxed into a surprised smile. Now my first three Pokemon had all reached their final form, and I had just won my last badge.

"Haxorus!" called Liz from above.

"The match goes to Wes!" called Evelyn, forgetting for a second that she wasn't the referee this time.

"Well, I'll be. A surprise evolution. And my Sheer Cold failed, too. Your Pokemon must just be at a higher level than we can take," said Wulfric, looking just as surprised as I was, returning his Pokemon and picking up its Mega Stone, which had just reformed, "I'm as tough as an Iceberg, but you smashed me through and through. Come over here. These belong to you now."

I walked over to him, Haxorus behind me, while he took out a golden hexagon with a glass section in the middle that bore a snowflake design and carried some sloshing water.

"It's the Iceberg badge. This is your final badge, right? You've proved your true prowess as a trainer. Your Pokemon fought with great courage. And I have a TM for you, too."

He handed me a pale blue disc.

"You know what this is? Ice Beam! It's an incredibly powerful move with great accuracy, and it will also freeze its target every once in a while when it hits. You know what? You have eight Gym badges now, so there's only one thing left for you… It's time you went to the Pokemon League. The tournament starts soon. I have some advice for you, and you too, Liz," he said, gesturing to Liz as she walked down from above, "It may not be much, but it's something I've learned. I hope it helps. The two of you, remember that being rigid can make you powerful, but it can also make you fragile. You're better off being flexible. You know what I mean? Some people are fluid like water: they can adapt to their environment without changing what's on the inside. Not me, though. Guess I'm just too stubborn. Maybe that's why I've always liked Ice types. Anyway, good luck, you two! Don't get lost on Victory Road!"

Liz and I nodded. I was still smiling in the glow from my win. I returned Haxorus and we went to the Pokemon Center to get my Pokemon healed quickly. Liz told us that it got much warmer on the route that lead to victory road, so we changed back to normal clothes: a shirt and cargo pants, the pockets of which I returned my Pokeballs to immediately, athletic clothes and a visor for Liz, and a green-themed outfit with her black skinny jeans with woven leaf designs for Evelyn. We stocked up on supplies for Victory Road at the Pokemon Center and sprinted through Snowbelle City, freezing with heavier bags.

Finally, we got through the gate. I breathed out audibly at the warmer temperature, sent out Sliggoo and Charizard to walk with us, and fixed my eyes on the place Dominic waited, Victory Road, the path of champions that was our final challenge before the Pokemon League.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Wow, I can't believe that this is the final badge! And I've only been writing for a month and a half, too. Thanks to all my reviewers, and to my awesome Beta Orlock22. The climax is coming up soon, and I'm really excited! Leave a review if you feel like it.<strong>


	36. Chapter 36: Roads

Chapter 36

* * *

><p>Diernere Way was a short path that ran from the East of Snowbelle City to the Victory Road gate. It was green, full of plants and beds of flowers, and a river ran through the path, forcing us to cross by a small bridge.<p>

I held my badge case, still finding it hard to believe that I had won eight badges. It had only been—what? Two months? Since I set out. I thought for a second about Cyllage City and the Wards' Home. When I placed in the Pokemon League, I would return there and give Madam Amedee some of the money I had won on my travels, and then-

I honestly had no idea what I would do next. Up until this point, I had just been thinking about getting all of my badges and then going to the Pokemon League, but now that I had all of my badges it seemed much less like the impossible, far-off goal it had been up until that point.

"Liz, what are you going to do next?" I asked, "You know, after the Pokemon League?"

"I've been thinking about that," said Liz, "I think I'm going to ask for an internship with Professor Sycamore. I spent some time at his lab after we all got separated, and I think he would give me the position."

Well, that worked. Liz was definitely intelligent enough to work with a Professor.

"Evelyn, when are you gonna challenge Ramos?" I asked, turning to my other side. I knew that Evelyn's plans for the future involved being a Gym Leader, "I mean, you're definitely ready right now."

Evelyn laughed nervously, "I'm not so sure about that."

"Oh come on, you definitely are," I insisted.

"He's right," said Liz, agreeing with me, "You did excellently in that battle against Wulfric."

Evelyn wasn't so sure, but Liz and I kept insisting, and finally she agreed that she would challenge Ramos after we got through Victory Road. Since the tournament would happen in two weeks, we would just be training for that time. We both told her that we would take a break in our training to watch her battle, and I jokingly told her that I would referee her battle for her. Surprisingly, she liked the idea. I still didn't understand what the point of a referee was. Half of my Gym battles had no referee, and they were little different than the ones that did. I had no idea why Evelyn liked being a referee so much.

Charizard bellowed happily, pointing to a spot. We followed her gesture and saw the shape of a person in front of a stone structure. In no time, we had gotten there. The stone structure was the gate to Victory Road, and the person was Dominic.

Dominic stood there, wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt with black designs, the claw on his necklace shining like it was polished every day. He looked healthy and well-rested, and six Pokeballs were holstered around his belt. Beside him, a tall Pokemon that walked on two legs and had blades for hands as well as a brown shell slumped boredly against a wall.

"Hey, Dominic!" I called.

He turned to us and waved, "Hey!"

The Pokemon beside him slouched off the wall, looked us over, then made a dismissive noise and turned away.

"Oh don't mind Kabutops," said Dominic, "He can be a little cold, but he's a good guy. He'll warm up to you soon enough."

"Kabutops?" asked Liz incredulously, staring at Kabutops pointedly instead of the guy standing at its side, "That's an ancient Pokemon."

"Yeah," he said, "When I was in Cyllage City to battle Grant, I met a researcher from Ambrette Town. I helped her out and she gave me this Pokemon in exchange. She said that she had revived it from a fossil with some kind of crazy science."

I frowned slightly. I had done something similar, getting a Pokemon in exchange for a favor, and there had been hidden, sinister aspects to that deal.

With her question answered, Liz looked down awkwardly, refusing to make eye contact with Dominic. I was about to say something, but stopped. Sliggoo tried to go over and greet Kabutops, but the brown-shelled Pokemon

Evelyn looked around and picked up on the escalating awkwardness.

"Let's go," she said, "The sun's going down. If we want to find a good spot to camp on Victory Road, we need to go now."

"Yeah," I agreed, and she and I started walking toward the badge check gates. Dominic and Kabutops joined us, and after a few seconds Liz hurried to catch up to us, her running footsteps echoing in the hall we were now entering. She purposefully took a place as far away from Dominic as she could.

On the walls of the stone hallway, banners depicting the badges of the Kalos region hung resolute, lit by hidden lamps that bathed their cloth surfaces in surreal colors. I looked briefly at the blocky shape of the Cliff badge, the first one I had obtained back in Cyllage City so many weeks ago with just Bagon, and I glanced at the blue-lit banner of the Iceberg Badge, remembering my recent win against Wulfric.

"Halt, trainers." A voice reached us. It came from a man in purple robes standing in front of the gate to Victory Road, "Only the worthy shall pass. Prove your qualifications."

I showed him my badges. He looked them over briefly and then nodded. Dominic and Liz did the same, and he approved them too. Evelyn encountered a problem, however. She didn't have all of the badges, and the man refused to believe that she was a Gym Leader's apprentice. However, after a call to Ramos that interrupted the old Grass Gym Leader in the middle of his dinner, the man finally let Evelyn pass.

He opened the gate for us and we walked though into a cave. At the end, a pool of water and a roaring waterfall blocked our way.

"You must climb that to proceed," explained the gatekeeper man, "If you can't even surpass a simple obstacle like a waterfall, you do not deserve to compete in the Pokemon League." After that, he shut the gate, trapping us in the cave.

"Okay," I said, sending out Charizard, "This shouldn't be too hard."

Evelyn sent out Tropius, and Dominic motioned to Kabutops, who jumped into the water. Liz just stood there.

"Uh, guys?" she said, "I don't have any Water or Flying Pokemon."

"You can ride the waterfall with Kabutops and me," offered Dominic, "He knows the move Waterfall, so it'll be no trouble."

Liz looked really uncomfortable, and made eye contact with me, clearly about to ask for a ride on Charizard. However, before I could accept, Evelyn tapped me on the shoulder.

"Let's go," she said, "Let's make them ride together. It might make this trip less awkward."

She smiled with a grin that told me she didn't just want to end the awkwardness, she wanted to play matchmaker. I decided to go along with her for now. Forcing Liz and Dominic to be together would either work like Evelyn predicted and end the awkwardness or backfire and make it worse, but since it was just a short ride up a waterfall I doubted anything would change at all.

Evelyn and I took off, soaring above the water, clear and blue so that I could see the layers of darkness and stone that defined the ethereal pool, while Liz reluctantly joined Dominic on the back of Kabutops. She clutched her arms around his waist and possibly blushed, though it was too dark to tell for certain.

After that was done, Evelyn and Dominic returned their Pokemon, Charizard stretched her wings, and Liz shook a little water out of her visor.

We kept walking. There was an opening to the now-dark outside up ahead, but before we could leave the cave a man issued a challenge.

He was a powerful trainer who was on his way to the Pokemon League just like us, and Liz accepted his invitation to battle. After a really close full battle that Evelyn refereed, Liz barely won and her Ninetales looked close to tears. I had never met her Ninetales before because she had caught it while she wasn't traveling with us and never sent it out up until that point, so it surprised me, as well as the whole group, that she had it. After the battle, I found out why she had been keeping the Pokemon tucked away in its Pokeball. Ninetales, incredibly happy about the win, raced around, aggressively tackling us, licking us with its burning hot tongue, and demolishing walls with uncontrolled attacks. Liz finally managed to return the Pokemon before it cracked anyone's ribs and apologized for how hyperactive it was. Her opponent, who had just lost, got up off the ground, slobber and mild burns on his face, and walked away without a word.

After that, we got out of the cave area into the open, where the stars glittered overhead, illuminating in soft grey light the path that stretched out before us, past ancient, ruined towers and up flights of stairs. Trees and grass bordered the path, and looking through the plant life I could catch glimpses of what looked like the remains of a castle.

Evelyn located a great spot to camp by the side of a ruin and we set up our sleeping bags and made a campfire. We all sent out our Pokemon, and I gave Flygon free reign to annoy Liz's Ninetales as long as she kept it away from us and tired it out. Flygon smiled and laughed, loving the chance to play pranks with my approval instead of my annoyance.

We all fed our Pokemon, and Ninetales came out of nowhere and tackled me, trying to steal some Pokemon food from me. Flygon took her chance and began to irritate the Fire Pokemon, leading it on a huge chase away from the camp area.

I walked over to check out Dominic's team as soon as I finished feeding mine. Sliggoo crawled along beside me.

"Who are they?" I asked, "Want to introduce me?" I gestured to the new members of his team. I recognized Blastoise, and the bulky water Pokemon nodded at me approvingly. I had seen Kabutops already. Sliggoo went back over to Kabutops, but Dominic's Pokemon once again turned away from him, making a derisive noise.

"Blastoise. You already know him."

Blastoise stepped forward and I fist-bumped him.

"Kabutops."

The bladed Pokemon finally relented with a sigh and started paying attention to Sliggoo.

"Politoed."

The green, wide eyed Pokemon looked up at me curiously.

"Braviary."

The white Pokemon stretched its impressive, brown-feathered wings.

"Azumarill."

The blue Pokemon flopped onto the ground lazily.

"Scizor."

The armored Pokemon walked around aimlessly, stretching the clear wings on its back.

"And they're my team," he said. His hand wandered to the claw on his necklace. I wasn't sure if the motion was conscious. "What about yours?"

"You already know everybody," I said, "There's Salamence. He evolved from Shelgon. Haxorus evolved from Fraxure, and Sliggoo evolved from Goomy."

"Nice," he said.

"Hey, Dominic," I began hesitantly, "How are you holding up?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, but then he followed my eyes to the claw, "Oh, that. I'm doing okay."

I stared at him curiously. I wanted to ask more, but I didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"It was really hard, and, y'know, I miss them a lot," he continued, "And I always will, I think. But, y'know, they would want me to keep going. I mean, this was where we were trying to go. This place was our dream. So I'm gonna get through Victory Road and win the Pokemon League for them."

I nodded, "You're right." His view did make a lot of sense. I was sure that my Pokemon would want me to keep going if one of them sacrificed their life for me. I glanced briefly at Charizard, who was helping to light the fire. I only wondered if I would be able to. "What do you think you're gonna do after the League?"

"After the League?" he repeated, "Actually, I've been thinking about that a lot. I'm gonna try to join the International Police. Maybe I can be stationed in places with a weak police force, like Kalos. Maybe I can even start a branch here. But, whatever I do, I'm gonna join. I'm gonna do my part to make sure that no one else gets hurt." By the end of that speech, his eyes had a faraway look in them, the look of someone who was determined to make sure that no one else shared his pain. Dominic really was noble.

I was about to speak again, when I heard the sound of stone shattering. I turned to see that Flygon was perched on top of the ruined tower on the right side of the path, and a very angry Ninetales was destroying the relic in an attempt to get to my Dragon Pokemon. I winced as Ninetales's Fire Blast destroyed another section of the monument. Maybe I shouldn't have given Flygon free reign to irritate Liz's Pokemon.

After Liz and I both returned our Pokemon before the tower could be destroyed, Evelyn called that the campfire was ready. We all came over and sat down and took out the food we had bought for the trip.

Dominic told Liz and Evelyn what he had told me earlier, and his resolve impressed Liz as well, though she avoided making eye contact with him. His story seemed to make Evelyn sad. They both agreed with him and thought that his goal of joining the police and protecting others was a good one.

I realized that I was the only one who didn't know what to do after the Pokemon League. Liz would go and study with a Professor, and, given how smart she was, probably become one herself someday. Dominic would be noble and go join the International Police. Evelyn would become a Gym Leader. And I had no clue what to do past going back to the Wards' Home and giving Madame Amedee some of the money I had earned. I hoped for a second that Caen was just as pathless as I was.

After dinner, we went to sleep. I had another nightmare, and woke up to see Charizard there, holding my hand. I thanked her, embarrassed to be a sixteen-year-old who needed his hand held. I was grateful anyway, though.

The next day passed in a blur of training and exploring. I battled a few trainers and some wild Pokemon, and we camped out that night in a cave where the air was foul.

We kept going for two more days, training our Pokemon and conquering all of the obstacles that this path threw at us. Evelyn and I tried to get Liz and Dominic to spend as much time together as possible, but our efforts failed. Evelyn was very concerned about them, but I was busier thinking about my Pokemon and this huge, winding path.

* * *

><p>Victory Road was massive. We climbed up through countless caves, each of which contained labyrinths, ponds of water, and wild Pokemon. We explored through ruins, huge walls that had once been an ancient structure, camping beside them. There was a stone room much less ruined than the rest with what looked like an altar on a part of the path that ran by a dizzyingly high cliff, where clouds were beneath us and the ground was microscopic. We had to climb a few more waterfalls, and aquatic Pokemon attacked us several times as we ascended.<p>

Finally, after we had been traveling for days, we crossed a small lake into a cave that extended in a straightforward path up, like a staircase, marked with torches. We made camp there for the night and climbed it with mounting excitement the next morning.

I stepped out of the dark cave into the bright morning light and shrieked with happiness. Ahead, past a beautiful garden and pond, a stone castle with blue roofs and red spires rose.

"It's the Pokemon League complex," explained Liz, who was grinning from ear to ear, "It has arenas built into it structure. The central chambers are for the elite four and champion. Those towers contain rooms for the competitors to stay in."

We walked along the beautiful path to the building. Trainers were practicing all around us, and inside its doors, we were in the lobby, which featured massive walls, a soaring ceiling, and paintings so huge that they made me feel small and insignificant.

A kind old woman greeted us inside. She wore bracelet, earrings, and a necklace that were decorated with fangs, and her shoes were covered with talons. Her clothing was bizarre, but her kind manner soon put us all at ease.

She introduced herself as Drasna of the Elite Four, and congratulated us for making it here. She told us that the tournament would start in two weeks, and that until then we could make arrangements.

She told us that she was a Dragon Type specialist, and that she hoped that one of us would place highly in the tournament and challenge her. She explained that the winner was allowed to take on the Elite Four and Champion, but we already knew that. Evelyn told her that I was also a Dragon Type specialist, and despite my protests that I was nowhere near as good as one of the Elite Four, Drasna smiled happily and said that it was great to meet someone else who was like her. She offered to help me train sometime, an offer which drew envious looks from Liz and Dominic.

Drasna showed us to the desk in the lobby, where they checked our Trainer Cards and Badges. They then assigned us rooms. I would be rooming with Dominic and Evelyn would be staying with Liz, though our rooms were right by each other. They gave all of us complimentary rooms because we were competitors, but Evelyn had to pay. She got a reduced when she mentioned that she was Ramos's apprentice, though.

We checked on our rooms, which were nice and simple, with soft beds. The rooms they were letting us stay in had windows that overlooked one of the arenas built into the complex. I stared down at the battlefield for a few minutes.

Dominic suggested that we should go meet the other competitors who were training outside. It was a good idea, so I turned away from the peaceful view of the rectangular field, lit by the soft blue morning light, and followed him out of the room. The girls agreed to go along with us.

On the walk back down the lobby, where the doors that lead outside were, I reminded Evelyn that it was about time for her to challenge Ramos, since we had gotten through Victory Road. She assured me that she would tomorrow. She wanted to train with us today and make her final preparations.

We walked outside. A young man with black hair was training with a massive Pokemon.

"Aggron, Heavy Slam!" he called.

His huge Pokemon pulverized a rock, sending fragments flying toward a nearby woman who was training with a Sableye. She shrieked as huge pieces of rock flew toward her, but her Sableye pushed her into a shadow and carried her to safety.

"Wow," said Liz, "That was a perfect Shadow Sneak. And that Aggron is amazingly trained. I knew that our opponents would be strong, but I didn't really expect this."

I understood her completely. Even after watching them for a second, they all gave off an aura of confidence that was pretty intimating.

The young man with the Aggron noticed us there and raced over to introduce himself.

"I'm Derek," he said as his Pokemon lumbered up beside him, "So you're competing, too?"

We said that we were, and he looked excited at the prospect of new sparring partners. The woman with the Sableye introduced herself as Lucille. She said that she had competed in the Leagues of various other regions, and told us a little about Kanto, Hoenn, Orre, and Sinnoh when we asked.

We met some other competitors as well, including an incredibly rude man named Julius.

I saw a woman training with an Audino, a Carbink, and a Gliscor. She was wearing pants and a simple top, and her hair was messy and brown with only small streaks of pink left at the ends, but I still recognized her.

"Nurse Charity!" I called.

"Oh, Wes!" she said, spinning around, "Although it's just Charity now. I'm not a Nurse anymore."

She told me a little about how our battle back in Laverre City had convinced her to go back on the road, where she had been helping people and Pokemon wherever she went. She also ended up collecting eight badges, so she decided to challenge the League. We trained together for a little while, but then went in for lunch.

We got the food, which was delicious, from a kitchen inside the Pokemon League complex. They also were serving food for Pokemon, so we all let out our teams to eat.

Evelyn, Caen, Dominic, and I sat in a circle with our Pokemon outside in the field, while Charity and the other competitors ate in various places. We were like that, eating, laughing, sharing stories about our journeys, Liz moving closer and closer to Dominic, trying to be sneaky, when all of our Holo Casters buzzed. I took mine out with a smile, hoping tha it was Caen so I could tell him about Victory Road and tell him to meet us at the Pokemon League so we could do some training.

The image of a man with a huge mane of hair appeared. I recognized him from TV and from the café in Lumiose. Lysandre, the passionate man trying to make Kalos more beautiful through science, the famous CEO of Lysandre Labs, the company he had started. His holographic image began to speak.

"Citizens of Kalos. I come to you by the Holo Caster to make an important announcement. Listen well. Flare will revive the ultimate weapon, eliminate everyone who isn't in our group, and return the world to a beautiful, natural state. Unproductive fools are consuming our future... If nothing changes, the world will become ugly and conflicts will raze the land from end to end. I repeat. We will use the ultimate weapon and wipe the slate clean. I'm sorry, those of you who are not members of Flare, but this is adieu to you all."

Lysandre's image vanished, leaving a circle of shocked faces around the Holo Caster.


	37. Chapter 37: Countdown

Chapter 37

* * *

><p>Evelyn's confused eyes met mine. "I—I can't believe it. Lysandre is with Flare?"<p>

She probably already knew Lysandre from somewhere. Being Ramos's apprentice, she had already met many of Kalos's important people. I had seen Lysandre once before, when he had been talking to Diantha in Lumiose City, and he had seemed really creepy then. I had heard that he was a passionate, inspired person who wanted to make the world a better place, but judging from his involvement with Flare, I doubted it.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" demanded Julius, a trainer who was going to enter the tournament.

"What do we do?" I heard Lucille, one of the other competitors in the Pokemon League, cry. Her Sableye stared coolly at her as she shouted, "We have to do something!"

Liz, Dominic, and I stared at each other equally blankly. I wanted fight Flare again, to stop them from using this "ultimate weapon" and carrying out Lysandre's implied threat to kill everybody, and hopefully see Celosia again. Liz would probably agree with me. I would convince Dominic and Evelyn if I had to, or just fight without them. I wasn't sure if Dominic would want to avoid Flare at all costs or get his revenge. If he wanted revenge, he would definitely come along, and probably end up leading the rest of us in the charge. If he wanted to avoid Flare because they had killed his Pokemon, then either I could convince him that this was the only way to save the lives of the rest of his Pokemon from whatever Flare was planning to do with that "ultimate weapon". Evelyn would probably go along if I asked her enough.

Evelyn took out her Holo Caster and I saw the image split down the middle, revealing the faces of Ramos and Korrina, her mentor and her friend.

"Ev!" shouted Korrina. "You saw that message from Lysandre, right?"

"Yeah," said Evelyn, "I still just can't believe it. I mean, Lysandre?"

"I know what yeh mean," replied Ramos, "That young man gave me hope for the future. I thought he had a real vision there. But now he's threatenin' to kill people? And he's with that Flare lot you've been tellin' me about?"

"They're still playing that message on TVs and billboards all across Kalos. I couldn't believe it was real, but Clemont says that he analyzed the footage, and it's one hundred percent genuine and coming from Lysandre Labs in Lumiose City," said Korrina.

"We have to do something about this," I said simply. Everyone looked at me, and I could see the agreement in their eyes, tinged with regret in the case of Evelyn and augmented with anger in Liz's eyes, as well as tempered with a blank kind of acceptance in Dominic's gaze. They were all with me, and Ramos and Korrina looked like they agreed as well.

I took out my own Holo Caster and Liz and Dominic did the same. I wanted to call Caen, since he was in Lumiose City right now.

Liz called Professor Sycamore, who began to speak about how he couldn't believe that his friend Lysandre would ever do something like this. However, Liz soon snapped him out of his melancholy mood by reminding him that he had to do something, and he said that he would be sending some of his network of acquaintances to help and told us where the entrance to Lysandre Labs was located in the sprawl of Lumiose City.

"We are evacuating."

A cruelly calm voice cut through the conversation, and I saw Dominic looking up at a pair of faces that looked similar to his. The expression on his face was complicated, a mix of frustration, anger, sorrow, and regret.

"You abandoned the path we gave you, Dominic," said the woman, her voice just as calm and polished, "It wasn't hard to follow. We wanted you to succeed, but you chose to fail."

"I—," began Dominic, but the man cut across his words again.

"You chose to live among the common trash. We heard the warning about what will happen. You may not deserve to be our son, but you still are. If you want to leave with us, you may."

"No," decided Dominic, "I'm not leaving."

"Are you sure?" asked the woman, "If you feel guilty about dishonoring us, then the excellent conditioning we have generously given to you is working, and that is a good thing. You may atone for your selfishness someday and maybe prove yourself worthy to be our servant and heir again one day."

"No," said Dominic, and then stopped. He noticed that everyone was looking at him, and then ended the call, "Bye."

"Anyway, it's in the street next to Magenta Plaza," said Sycamore, continuing his directions.

"I can't believe Lysandre," said Korrina to Evelyn, "He just passed the test beneath the Tower of Mastery a little while ago. He has real bonds with his Pokemon. I thought he was a good man."

"I'll meet yeh in Lumiose and help yeh take this Flare gang down," said Ramos.

I looked at Dominic questioningly as everyone else continued their conversations. "Those were your parents, right?"

"Yeah," he agreed. I had heard him talk about his parents only once before, the night we camped out in the swamp north of Lumiose City. He had talked a little about how arrogant and controlling they were, but I hadn't really understood the extent of it until I heard them talk. I had always been jealous of people whose parents were still alive and who would provide for them, which I knew was stupid but I couldn't stop feeling a little anger and envy every time. However, I didn't envy Dominic at all.

"I don't even know why I called," he said, "I just wanted to say goodbye or hear their voices, I guess. That was stupid."

I didn't know how to respond, so I just loaded my Holo Caster and called Caen, who was still in Lumiose City.

He told me that his neck was completely healed when I asked, but then filled me in on what was going on here. People's reactions ranged from casual disbelief to panic to anger, and a mob of outraged citizens had surrounded Lysandre Labs, but Flare members had completely blockaded the entrance.

"We'll be there soon," I said.

"Great," said Caen, ducking something that looked really familiar. I recognized it in a second as the memories of excruciating pain in my shoulder and wetness in my knees came back to me and shouted a warning.

"It's a grenade! Cover your face!" I flipped the Holo Caster into the ground, seeing even the display on the Holo Caster flash disturbingly bright.

"I'm okay," said Caen as I looked back at the image, "Thanks for the warning. Get here soon."

I closed my call, and noticed that everyone around me was doing the same.

"Let's go," said Dominic, "We have to go." His eyes were now frighteningly eager.

* * *

><p>Charizard blasted through another cloud. Derek shouted and grabbed back behind me at the sudden acceleration as we Mega Evolved and then whooped as she cut the sky even faster.<p>

Derek was the competitor with the Aggron who we had met before all the chaos began. He had agreed to come along with us, and Charity had said she would as well as soon as she found one of the Elite Four, because she thought we really needed backup if we wanted to succeed here. She brought up our failure at the Pokeball Factory and said that it was imperative that we didn't fail again. Evelyn on Tropius and Liz and Dominic on Braviary were keeping up with us thanks to Braviary's Tailwind, and soon the shape of Lumiose City below, a shape that I was starting to recognize by now, appeared beneath us.

I scanned the city for the red monument in the plaza that Liz had told us to look for and soon found it in the middle of a cobblestone circle by a canal. The sun had climbed higher by the time we landed and it was about ten in the morning. We had just gotten to the Pokemon League this morning, and we were now back in Lumiose City just a few hours later.

We touched down first, and Derek jumped down off of Charizard.

"Whoa," he said, noticing Charizard's changed form for the first time, "Is that Mega Evolution?"

I nodded.

"I've never seen it before," he said, walking around to look at Charizard from all angles. She smiled and posed dramatically, enjoying the attention. "That's how we got here so fast, right?"

Charizard made a noise of agreement and Liz and Dominic touched down behind us, followed by Evelyn.

"Lysandre Café is that way," said Liz. She took off running and the rest of us followed with our Pokemon. The café served as the entrance to the Labs, according to Sycamore. He told us that the Labs were a sprawling, underground complex that he visited often so he could help Lysandre with his research. He had urged us to help Lysandre, obviously still believing that Lysandre was a good man despite the threats about the ultimate weapon playing everywhere.

As we ran, we saw some people staring at TVs and Holo Casters in confusion and some people panicking, but most people were just going about their business as usual, ignoring the messages playing everywhere. We got the crimson building, where a ring of angry citizens was surrounding and pressing in, held back by a solid wall of Flare grunts. Pokemon battles and physical fights had broken out in some places, but most people were just pressing forward and shouting. I picked out Caen and Ramos among the crowd, and saw Korrina riding her Hawlucha in the sky, trying to dive-bomb the Flare members below. Some people were lying on the ground behind the crowd, unconscious, looking just like Dominic and Evelyn had back in the swamp after Aliana had used her flashbang grenade on them.

I pushed through the crowd to the front, getting the attention of Caen. Dominic pushed through behind me and emerged at the front of mass of people at my right.

"Aha! I know you!" shrieked a high, female voice. "Let's have a rematch, huh?"

Dominic and I both recognized the speaker and bristled with anger.

"Aliana!" I shouted, seeing her behind the wall of low ranking Flare members, laughing and clutching some kind of explosive.

"Whoa, chill," said Derek, who I hadn't even noticed approach. He was now standing beside me and looked concerned at the rage on my face.

Dominic didn't say anything. His face just turned red with hate and he rushed at the wall of grunts. He managed to break right through, his righteous anger giving him strength, trampling and shoving aside the orange-suited people in his way, the claw on his necklace bouncing as he ran and flashing in the sun. Aliana shrieked and ran off into the labs, and Dominic followed her.

Derek and I took the opportunity and ran through the broken wall of Flare members. Some people followed us, and the situation outside the café dissolved into absolute chaos.

I ran into the café, where even more Flare grunts were waiting, trying to keep people from entering the large door in the back that led to the labs below. Derek took almost all of them on by himself, and I kept going.

As I rushed through the door and felt the temperature drop all around me and the lights become dimmer, I looked behind me to see who else had come in with me. Liz, Caen, Evelyn, Korrina, Ramos, and a random person who I didn't recognize had come in. Dominic was still outside, having been tackled to the ground by a mob of Flare grunts, and Derek and a few people who I recognized as the Lumiose Gang were fighting orange-suited people in the café.

Lysandre Labs was dim. Even though the place was spotlessly clean and spacious, the grey floor along with the narrow, orange strips of weak lighting gave it the impression of being dingy and crowded, as if it was built in the mouth of a fire breathing beast or in an inactive incinerator, lit by the embers of the last blast, ready to explode again at any moment. We walked in slowly. I greeted Caen, Korrina, and Ramos, and introduced myself to the stranger who was invading the labs with us, who said his name was Aleato and he wanted to investigate the threats as well. However, before we could get far, the man who had made the threats himself, Lysandre, walked into our way, his passion pouring out of his emotional eyes and causing us all to stop moving as he began to speak.

"Ah," he began, his red mane glistening in the light, "I came to see what the commotion outside was about. The people of Lumiose City are outraged by my actions, and justifiably so. It pains me to cause them such great anger, but it must be done."

"Lysandre, are you insane?" demanded Korrina.

"Gym Leaders, powerful trainers. Some of you are even users of Mega Evolution. Nice to meet you, Wes, Liz, and your friend Dominic, although he seems to be absent. Sycamore has told me much about you and how you helped him with his research. And of course you, Korrina, the successor yourself. Ramos, and your apprentice Evelyn, I believe? I believe I have seen you two before as well although your names escape me," Lysandre said, speaking to us each in turn. He didn't know Caen's or Aleato's names, but he knew the rest of ours with disturbing accuracy. "Welcome to Lysandre labs. You are truly noble foes. I believe I shall test my convictions by facing you. The course of action I have decided on is the correct one, but it still makes my heart burn with sorrow. Perhaps you can help reassure me of the acuity of my ways."

"Yer plannin' to kill people, Lysandre," declared Ramos, "If I've learned any truth over my years, it's that all life is sacred. Nothin' can possibly justify what yer threatenin' to do."

"Ah, you see, I believed that as well, for a long time," he said, almost apologetically, "But it proved not to be the case. The world will eventually reach the point of no return, if it hasn't already. Saving the lives of all is simply impossible, though I wish it could be so. For the longest time, I tried to save people—and the world, with the advancements and the profit from this lab. But my efforts had no effect…"

"Save people from what?" asked Liz.

"Lysandre, you just proved yourself worthy of wielding Mega Evolution! You're truly a good man! That strength of character is real! How can you threaten to kill people?" demanded Korrina.

"I needed to save people," he continued, "From themselves. The world was just too vast, and full of fools who I couldn't save through my hard work alone… That's how I was forced to realize that there are just too many people in the world. The world is far over carrying capacity, and nature is screaming in pain under the burden we place on it. The only way to save it is to reduce the number of people living on it. If not, the environment will crumble, the amount of cruel, hateful people will continue to increase, murders, thefts, brutality, and unspeakable crimes will run rampant, and even good people will be forced to hurt others just to survive. Desperation breaks even the virtuous. I don't expect you to ever understand how I think and feel. Try to stop the ultimate weapon if you must—in fact, I encourage you to do so. The side who is correct should triumph. If I am right, the world will become a better place, and if I am wrong, though I doubt that very much at this point, you will stop me from making this terrible mistake."

He paused for a second, and relayed orders through a communicator on his wrist. "Flare personnel in Lysandre Labs: You will encounter intruders. Engage them in Pokemon battles to test their convictions. Do not attempt to use violence against them, and do not block their path. Mable: give them the elevator key if they beat you. Xerosic: monitor the preparations in Geosenge Town, and test them if they manage to get to you. Celosia, Aliana, and Bryony: assist with final preparations and face the intruders in battle."

He turned off the communicator and mused to himself, "Saving everything… The world is suffering because of this absurd dream." He truly did seem to be noble, in a great contrast to the members of Flare I had met up to this point. In fact, he seemed much too good to be a leader of the people I had fought before. Even if he thought that some people needed to die, and it seemed like he had his doubts about it, I had no idea why he would choose Flare to live. Maybe Malva seemed honorable, though that was probably because she was one of the Elite Four, and Celosia was kind sometimes, but the average members and Admins were terrible people. Xerosic had trapped Caen in that expansion suit, so I doubted he cared about people like Lysandre did, and Aliana seemed like an all-out psychopath. What was Lysandre doing with these people?

"Now, show me your convictions! One of you, face me in battle!" Lysandre challenged.

"I accept!" shouted Korrina, "I'll take your challenge. You all, keep going. Find out what this 'Ultimate Weapon' is and how to stop it! Hawlucha, let's do this!"

We walked past as the sounds of the battle grew louder into the dark, orange lit rooms of Lysandre Labs.


	38. Chapter 38: Flare

Chapter 38

* * *

><p>"Time for me to lay waste to you and finally get recognized by the Admins!" proclaimed an orange suited man, snarling down at me.<p>

I got to my feet and watched as he sent out a Swalot. I sent out Flygon in response and moved aside as Evelyn tumbled to the ground beside me.

"Tch, come on," said the Flare agent with distaste, watching me help Evelyn up, "You intruders are just pathetic. These spin panel traps on the floor can be navigated by amateurs. Why is Lysandre making us waste our time battling you again?"

"Just shut up," I said, tired of listening to these people talk, "Flygon, Rock Slide!" The spin panels had been giving me trouble. The second I stepped on one, it would fling me spinning away in a random direction like I was slipping on ice. Ramos was trying to avoid them at all costs because of his injured hip and Liz was using the panels to rush at Flare members, though she usually ended up going in directions that she didn't mean to. Caen was the only one who didn't seem to be having trouble with the traps, and he was skating around effortlessly like he had done in Frost Cavern.

The man winced as his Swalot fainted in one move and he threw a second Pokeball, revealing a Liepard.

"Superpower!" I called.

"Sucker Punch!" responded the man.

Flygon took the move and retaliated with her own, finishing the battle quickly. I returned her. The man was right about this being a waste of time.

"What is the Ultimate Weapon?" demanded Evelyn, approaching the defeated man. She had asked the same question to the other grunts we had defeated but she hadn't gotten a good answer yet.

"No, no good," said the man, talking more to himself than to us, "The Admins are gonna demote me for this."

"Hey!" I shouted, getting his attention, "Answer the question! What is the Ultimate Weapon?"

"I don't know exactly," he said, staring nervously at Flygon, "Ask the scientists or something." He then took off, using one of the spin panels to escape.

Evelyn and I looked at each other and then kept going. She stepped on the spin panel and shot off toward the right, where that random guy Aleato who had gotten in with us was battling a grunt. I followed her, but the panel sent me to a different place completely.

I stumbled into a brightly illuminated concrete room, with books on shelves and a board where pictures and words were mounted. It drew my attention, and I stopped to look.

Many names and words were tacked up on the board. _Overpopulation, misery. _Those two words were connected, and other lines lead to other words. _Solution, bombing. _The word _bombing_ had been crossed out. A different path lead to another word, another solution. _Ultimate Weapon, AZ, Geosenge Town. _Around those words were a mess of pictures, other words, and paragraphs of text.

_The ancient king's name was AZ, and he was a genius and brilliant inventor. He used crystal-based technology unlike any seen during that era to unite Kalos for the first time._

_The king couldn't escape war with those who targeted prosperous Kalos, nor could he end it quickly. The war dragged on and on, and the death toll grew to massive levels._

_Full of sorrow, AZ built the Ultimate Weapon. When he did, he left the following words, "What's wrong with bringing something you love back into the world? Without the Pokemon I love, nothing in the world has any meaning."_

_Devon Corporation. Infinity Energy._

_Xerneas, Yveltal._

Finally, surrounded by the bizarre pictures, a huge white flower made out of crystal, an office building by the coast and a city built in a ring of white rock, a Floette, a tree reaching toward the heavens, a cocoon that radiated malice, the Menhir Trail that was right above Cyllage City, were three pictures tacked to a single, circled word. A perfectly balanced pyramid of rock, a train, which I recognized as the one I had fought Celosia on, the technical blueprint for some kind of platform, with a circular base and four huge wires that extended upwards decorated the pictures, and the circled word was _Zygarde._

Xerneas and Yveltal were legendary Pokemon. What did they have to do with some ancient king, or a corporation? I recognized the train and the pictures of places around Kalos, but I had no idea what they meant. And what was Zygarde? As I looked at the whole board one more time, a chill ran across my back. I had no idea what Flare was planning.

"Wes!" called Evelyn from outside. "Where are you?"

I ran out to join the fight again, leaving behind the room full of unanswered questions.

The chaos continued. I defeated more Flare agents, all of whom either seemed annoyed that they had to deal with us or excited at what was to come. Finally, Caen grabbed my arm and led me to a room off to the side, saying he needed backup. He dragged me along with him while gracefully navigating the spin tiles and pulled me through a door into another brightly lit room.

"You're back!" called a woman in orange armor. She had blue hair, and I recognized her from the Frost Cavern as Mable. "I thought you had just turned tail and run away!"

"Retreat is the more logical option. In fact, you and your friend should probably do it now," intoned a green-haired woman, Bryony, another person we had met at the Frost Cavern, in an emotionless voice, "You two retreated last time, didn't you? Our battle was merely a diversion to allow you to interrupt our operation, as I recall. I recommend the same tactic now."

The room we were in was covered in blueprints. Squares of blue containing designs of all kinds of equitment covered the walls and hung on the boards positioned around the room. In the back, wires were connected to a stone, and machines all around seemed to be scanning it in every way possible.

"We're not running," said Caen, striking an intimidating pose. The effect was ruined a second later when he slipped and swore, falling to the ground.

"I learned about you," said Bryony, "Wes and Caen, aspiring Pokemon Trainers." She placed the Holo Caster she had been tampering with back on the table behind her. "We'll crush you again."

"How do you know our names?" I asked. Lysandre had known from Sycamore, right? But how did she know.

"We gather data on trainers all around the region using the Holo Caster, so we know all about you guys. We kept a closer eye on you kids because you kept getting in the way of our operations." Answered Mable, "You know how Mega Evolution is used to awaken a Pokemon's power, right? It's just like how the Ultimate Weapon can max out a Pokemon's power. Hehehe… Looks like we're all practically after the same thing."

I still had no idea what the Ultimate Weapon was. She said it was like Mega Evolution. What did that mean? The image of a Pokemon exploding with power as Aliana cackled and clutched a cracked keystone, destroying a whole city with its newly awakened energy entered my head

"I'm holding the key to the elevator," said Mable, "If you beat me, Lysandre ordered me to hand it over."

"Let's do this," I said to Caen, trying to get the picture out of my mind. He nodded.

"Rhyperior!"

"Salamence, showtime!"

Our Pokemon appeared in front of us, their combined roars echoing in the room which now seemed much smaller with the huge Pokemon inside. Caen and I caught the Pokeballs and watched as Bryony and Mable sent out.

"Let's beat 'em to a pulp, Weavile!" shouted Mable excitedly.

"Bisharp, target lock," said Bryony boredly.

"Stone Edge!" called Caen, "Hit Weavile!"

"Fire Fang on Bisharp!" I shouted.

"Hit Salamence with Ice Shard!" called Mable.

Weavile blurred into action, flash freezing the air around itself and grabbing to chunks of ice, using them like daggers and leaping over to stab Salamence, who roared and crashed to the ground. A second later, Rhyperior blasted it with Stone Edge, sending it flying into some blueprints and destroying them.

"Target Salamence," commanded Bryony boredly, "Guillotine."

Bisharp dashed over and climbed over Salamence, planting one of its feet on each of his wings and digging its talons in, making him scream in pain. It then held its bladed arms high above his neck and prepared to swing straight down.

"Pute!" I screamed, my chest dissolving into panic and fear shooting through the back of my head. He was too dazed from the Ice Shard use Protect now, I was too far away to help him, I couldn't do anything to stop this. My hands closed into fists involuntarily and I felt my teeth scrape against each other as a pressure rose in the front of my chest.

Bisharp swung, ready to slice deeply into my Pokemon, when Caen shouted something and a huge mass of rock blasted into Bisharp, knocking the Steel type off of my Pokemon before it could finish its move and burying it in a wall. Bryony shrugged boredly and grabbed a nearby machine. She turned it on, revealing that it was a flickering cutting torch like the one that Celosia had used in Glittering cave, and then began to work on the massive chunk of rock, trying to free her Pokemon.

Salamence got up and shook his head defiantly.

"Dragon Pulse!" I called, my head a little light with relief.

Salamence finished off Weavile and Mable returned it, annoyed, as Bryony cracked through the huge rock and returned her Pokemon as well.

"Houndoom, let's do it!" called Mable, sending out her next Pokemon.

"Liepard, target lock," said Bryony, boredly following.

Caen and I finished their next Pokemon in a few moves, and nothing as dangerous as Bisharp's almost-Guillotine happened. The women returned their Pokemon, and Bryony began speaking.

"I suppose I'll tell you what you need to know. We've been using the electricity we stole from the Kalos Power plant to prepare for the firing of the Ultimate Weapon," she said.

"Okay, what is this Ultimate Weapon?" I asked, hoping to finally get an answer.

"What does it sound like?" Bryony replied, "An engine of destruction. It dates back about 3,000 years, surprisingly. I suppose it was created in ancient times. I don't particularly care about that part. Ask the prisoner on B2F if you're really curious. Anyway, electricity isn't all we need. We'll also need energy absorbed from other things—people or Pokemon—to power the device. When we met at the Frost Cavern, we were scouting potential energy sources like that Abomasnow. However, that thing we found in Terminus Cave works incredibly well. It releases energy like nothing I've ever seen before. It's what we're going to use to fire the weapon. We're going to use a unique property of Kalos's geosphere to do this. The stones on the Menhir Trail and other places have attributes that make them perfect conduits of energy." She stopped talking and gestured to the stone behind her.

Mable began speaking next, "Those stones are actually the graves of Pokemon from the war 3,000 years ago. I've always wondered, what would happen if we used the power of a legendary Pokemon to fuel the Ultimate Weapon?"

"A legendary Pokemon?" I asked, "You have a legendary Pokemon?"

Mable ignored me and continued, "Do you know the way surgery works? Doctors operate, and while they cause damage, ultimately their patients heal and recover. We are cutting the cancer out of the world so that it can be healthy once again, and not drag on endlessly, suffering and screaming to its death. Just like a frightened patient, the world will resist at first. But after the operation, everyone will be happy. I don't know why Lysandre wants to give frightened, shortsighted people like you who are afraid of the very metaphorical anesthesia access to his base, but his orders stand. Here's the elevator key. B2F has the holding cell, and B3F has the command station." She stopped for a second and handed me the key card, talking into a communicator on her wrist, "Lysandre, I've given the key to some of the intruders."

"You really believe that?" I demanded, incredulous, "You think that killing everyone else is like surgery?"

While she was talking, Bryony was reporting something, speaking into the device on her wrist.

"Of course it's awful!" shouted Mable, a note of panic edging into her voice, "Everyone's life is precious! But it's the only way. Those stones on Route 10, the graves of the ancient Pokemon? When the Ultimate Weapon was used the first time to end the horrible war 3,000 years ago, it stole the lives of all those Pokemon. Their lives were the price of peace then. And if we want to make a better world today, then we also have to sacrifice something precious."

My Holo Caster buzzed, and Caen's Xtransceiver rang. An image of Lysandre appeared on both. I could hear the sounds of the battle he was still having with Korrina in the background as he began to talk to us. "Excellent," he began, "Bryony tells me that you've won the elevator key. So it seems your convictions are strong. Meet with the man we're holding on B2F. I think you'll be interested in what he has to say. After that, confront Xerosic on B3F. If you can do all that, come to Geosenge Town. We will decide what happens next here."

We walked out of the room, and met up with Evelyn, Ramos, and Liz. Korrina, Dominic, and Derek were still absent, and I couldn't see Aleato anywhere. However, some more people from the crowd above had gotten through and were wandering around in here.

After we told them what had happened, Evelyn, Caen, Ramos, Liz and I made our way to the elevator. I followed Lysandre's instructions and scanned the key and pressed the B2F button. The five of us sank deeper into Lysandre's labs.

The elevator door opened a few seconds later and the five of us walked out. From what I could see, this floor appeared to be a small corridor with a prison cell at the end.

"Those women told us that the prisoner here would know about the Ultimate Weapon," Caen said.

I walked to the end of the passage, and looked into the cell. The prisoner looked sad, ancient, and somehow familiar.

"You were real," said Liz beside me, a tone of surprise in her voice, "I thought I was just imagining things. Remember, Evelyn, Wes? In the desert that night?"

I looked at the man in the cell again, who looked disheveled, homeless, destitute, his coat and scarf torn, his long grey hair tangled, and his left knee covered in a brace. I remembered him: the impossibly tall man who I had seen in the Lumiose Badlands after the Power Plant incident. He had been mumbling something about a flower Pokemon and eternal life, but I had thought he was just a dream.

The man in the prison cell looked us over, then stood to his full height, which had to be at least three meters, walked close to the blue, glowing bars of energy that separated his undersized cell from the darkened hallway, and began to speak.

"You must be the ones who will face Lysandre. Listen. A terribly long time ago, there was a man and a Pokemon. He loved that Pokemon very much."

He drew a shuddering breath. "But a war began. The man's Pokemon—the man's beloved Pokemon was forced to take part in that war. Several years passed. He was given a tiny box. The man wanted—needed— to bring the Pokemon back. No matter what it took. The man built a machine to give it life. He brought his beloved Pokemon back, even at the cost of the lives of other Pokemon, which he used as energy to fuel the machine. But even with his Pokemon returned, he was not content. The man had suffered too much and his rage would not subside. He could never forgive the world that had hurt the Pokemon he loved. So he turned the machine into the ultimate weapon. The man became a bringer of destruction who ended the war. The Pokemon that had been given life must have known what had happened, what price its new life was bought at, what the man had done afterwards. The resurrected Pokemon left he man." His voice broke off at this point.

"Aye, this reminds me of an old tale," said Ramos, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "The one about the ancient king of Kalos, the glorious one who ended a war, A—"

"Do not say his name!" cried the grey-haired man in the cell, "Please. He is not glorious, and should not be considered so even in the sight of the least of mortals. No one should remember him with honor. He was a fool!"

I thought for a second about what I had read in that room full of books. The ancient king he was talking about had to be AZ, at least, if Flare's research was right. I would ask Ramos after we got out of earshot of the prisoner, as asking about the king in front of him seemed like a bad idea after that outburst.

"Lysandre cannot be allowed to repeat my—his mistake. He must be stopped. Stop him from beginning if you can, but if he begins the firing sequence then there is only one way to stop it. I—I mean, the king made a shutdown key, years ago, an orange orb with a flower design that will stop the machine, in case I needed to, but the shutdown key was lost in the battle when I—I mean, he, first fired the machine. There is only one way to get it. Deep in the forests of southern Kalos, by the city that is today known as Kiloude, is a Pokemon that can travel through time. It sounds insane, but I assure you that it is the truth. I've been to see it many times, to see if I can travel back in time and shut down the machine and right the vast wrong that I have inflicted upon the world, but the Pokemon judged me unworthy. Perhaps one of you will be able to. You must go and retrieve the key and use it to stop Lysandre from doing this again!"

"This Pokemon," I began. The words he used, "time," and "worthy," made me think of a certain Pokemon who had appeared in my dreams a few times. "Is it small and green, with huge blue eyes and wings?"

"Yes, indeed," he said, his voice swelling with hope, "So you have met it before!"

"I haven't actually met it, but it visited me in my dreams a few times," I explained.

"You may be worthy, then," he said, "Blond young man, I assume your presence here indicates that you are determined to stop Lysandre. Go and see this Pokemon, and travel into the past. If it has appeared in your dreams, it must know you are capable of this feat."

"Hold on here," said Ramos, "Are ya talkin' 'bout Celebi?"

"Indeed," confirmed the prisoner, "That is its name."

"Well, I've heard the stories about it living by Kiloude City," he said, "If yer tellin' the truth, I can send Wes and my apprentice there to pick up this shutdown key."

"You must go!" he said, "Lysandre plans to fire the weapon today! There is no time to waste! Look into my eyes, and see my honesty! If Lysandre begins the firing sequence, this is your—and the world's—only hope! You need to touch the orb to the crystal in the center of the Ultimate Weapon. A safe way is going under the machine, as the crystal is exposed around the base, although if it is buried you can also climb into the flower, the firing chamber, directly."

I had noticed that as he talked more passionately, he stopped saying "his" and started saying "my", as if he was the king who had built the ultimate weapon. He could just be a crazy old man, or bad at telling stories, but then again, he was talking about a machine that bestowed eternal life. There was definitely another, far more chilling possibility.

"Speaking of the firing sequence," interjected Liz, "Shouldn't we be going to B3F?"

We all nodded and started to leave, but the prisoner said one last thing.

"I've traveled for years, and I've seen the worst humanity has to offer. I've been disgusted by many people's actions, and especially by my own. When I look in the mirror sometimes and see that I am a human, that I am me, the true cold of dark grey November strikes my soul, and I feel as if I belong in a funeral procession. I completely understand how Lysandre sees the world. However, for some reason, Pokemon stay by our sides. So, even though it feels like we are the most despicable creations to exist sometimes, we aren't too far gone to give up on yet." The gray-haired man finished that last part with the conviction of someone who has almost given up and ended it many times, but always found a reason to keep going.

"Don't let him use the weapon. Do you want to know unending pain like I have?"

We walked away, as the man closed his eyes and leaned against the wall like his body was weary with the pain of the ages.

"The king," I asked Ramos, "Was his name AZ?"

"Yes," answered the Leader.

"Flare's been doing research on him," I said, "I saw this board in their library that's covered in information about him."

"Can we even trust that old man?" asked Liz, "He kept losing focus and talking as if he was the one who built that weapon. Maybe he's senile."

Ramos glared at her angrily but she didn't even notice.

"Lysandre wanted us to talk to him for some reason," countered Evelyn, "And I don't think Flare would lock up just a crazy old homeless man."

We all crowded into the elevator once again, and descended to B3F. The elevator's doors opened to reveal a room with walls that were covered in screens, and glass panels in the floor revealed huge computers, which flashed red underneath the two people who were standing in the room. One of them was the man I recognized from the train, Xerosic, and the other was Aliana.

"Lysandre is a fool!" declared Aliana. "Why is he wasting his time with these intruders? We should just kill them and get them out of the way!"

"He ordered us not to harm them," countered Xerosic, whose deathly pale skin showed his bluish veins in the lab's light.

"But they're a liability. If they manage to get in our way, they could ruin all of our work, and destroy this experiment you've been working so hard on!" Aliana continued.

"You're right," said Xerosic, frowning at the idea of his experiment being disrupted, "I agree with you completely. I've taken the liberty of getting everything ready for that backup plan you suggested. The Pokeballs you stole and the Pokemon that we've filled them with are all where they need to be."

Aliana smiled, "I don't trust this idea of draining energy from some legendary Pokemon's corpse."

"It's not a corpse exactly, more like a dormant state. And of course Lysandre wants to minimize the suffering by draining the energy from only one living being. That's why he decided against using your bombs, even when they showed so much promise in the Laverre marshlands. But if his ideas fail, yours is in place to succeed," explained Xerosic.

"Well then, I'm off to quaint little Geosenge Town," said Aliana.

"Delphox, Mystical Fire!" cried Liz, who had seen what was going on from behind me. I had just been watching, trying to figure out what they were talking about, but she was trying to attack. "Burn her!"

Delphox waved her wand and sent a wall of flame at Aliana, who shrieked in delight and ran off to a nearby tile on the floor, where she warped away and vanished. Xerosic boredly hit a button on the remote control he was clutching and activated a fire suppression system that scattered water and foam everywhere and put out the fire.

"No!" yelled Liz.

"You just tried to-," began Evelyn in disbelief.

"She hurt Dominic! She deserved it!" insisted Liz. Ramos frowned at Liz and began to speak as well.

"You're the ones I've heard so much about," began Xerosic, ignoring the argument that Evelyn and Liz were having behind me, "I recognize you from the train station. I need to a little research on you. Come, let us begin!"

He threw a Pokeball, calling out, "Go, Crobat!" A purple, winged Pokemon with fangs appeared. I sent out Haxorus and defeated his Pokemon in short order.

"Oh ho ho! Go, Malamar!" he exclaimed, sending out his next Pokemon. I looked around to see that Evelyn, Liz, and Ramos were still arguing, while Caen was looking around the room. He had stopped to look at a screen that displayed a black cybernetic suit, captioned _Expansion Suit_.

"Dragon Dance!" I called.

Haxorus roared and energy swirled around her armored body.

"Topsy-turvy!" declared Xerosic.

Red and blue grids of light swirled around Haxorus, and when she finished her Dragon Dance she seemed weaker instead of stronger.

"Pyscho Cut!" called Xerosic.

"Dual Chop! Burn it!" I countered.

Haxorus's blows couldn't even stop the Psycho Cut, and she took a lot of damage. Malamar laughed evilly.

"I'm done with this," said Liz, "Delphox, Blast Burn."

The space in front of me dissolved in a haze of red and orange. The explosion of heat felt like it lit my face on fire, but I was totally fine when the move finished. Malamar, however, wasn't. Haxorus looked in pain as well, and she and I both turned to glare at Liz and Delphox.

"Sorry, Wes," apologized Liz.

"Two on one? That's hardly sporting," decided Xerosic, "But the power of that move was incredible! Your Pokemon are truly incredible! You have tremendous skill and bravery! When you add that up, it means I will tell you something very interesting. It happened 3000 years ago. The Ultimate Weapon was used to put an end to the war in an instant. If we use that power today, we can finally free Kalos of the fools who plague it! Lysandre had wanted me to test you with these buttons behind me, but I'm not going to let you stop our process now. I refuse to let this potential go to waste!"

He pressed a button on the remote, and the computers beneath us flashed. Evelyn, Ramos, and Caen turned to watch the screen on the wall, and Xerosic excitedly ordered us all to watch.

The screen on the wall showed Geosenge Town. I had never actually been there before, but I knew what it was like from growing up nearby: A circle of houses built around a monument of three stone spires.

As I watched, the stone spires suddenly collapsed. A second later, a huge, pointed crystal rose from the ground and split, unfolding with green light, scattering stones everywhere, and destroying the town. Rocks rose into the air, suspended in the green energy radiating from it, and then fell to the ground with a loud crash as the spire of crystal crashed back down into the earth, burying its base underground but opening widely to the sky like a flower made of pale, iridescent crystal.

"What? That thing was underground the whole time?" asked Ramos in disbelief.

Xerosic smiled and shouted excitedly, "Did you see? The Ultimate Weapon is reborn! The poisonous flower has bloomed. All shall perish! Except for Flare! It has bloomed in Geosenge Town! Add it all up, and it equals… a victory for me! And SCIENCE!"

"Yeh awful bastud!" shouted Ramos, "How dare yeh!"

"If you want to stop it, I suggest you go to Geosenge!" said Xerosic, already turning his attention to displays on the screen. I noticed an image of Flare agents attaching struggling Pokemon to stones on Menhir Trail, the route north of Cyllage City, but I didn't have time to wonder about it.

"Alright, all of yeh, let's go," said Ramos, leading us back into the elevator, "Let's get to Geosenge Town before it's too late. And Evelyn! Yeh need to take Wes and get to Kiloude City. Yer Tropius can Fly yeh there, right?"

Evelyn nodded.

"Alright, good. Look in the forest north of the city and find that Celebi. The rest of us, we'll go to Geosenge and try and stop 'em from gettin' that weapon ready, but we'll need that key to shut it down if they do start firin' it," he continued. I nodded. I was feeling a little overwhelmed, and it was good to have someone give me a clear idea of what to do.

We headed out of the lab, running into Dominic on our way. We told him what was going on. Sitting at the entrance to the labs was Korrina, holding the glove that held her Mega Stone in her hand, staring at it intently.

Korrina looked up when she saw us and began, "I—I can't believe it. Lysandre beat me. He really beat me. There's no way that he's right, is there? Could he actually be… right? He's wrong, isn't he?" She was practically begging by the end of that, and the doubt in her eyes was painful to see.

"No," said Evelyn, "He's wrong. And we'll stop him."

Evelyn was trying to be reassuring, but there was a scary amount of doubt in her voice as well, as if she didn't really believe what she was saying.

"Don't lose hope, yeh hear," said Ramos, "Wes and Evelyn, get to Kiloude City. Everybody else, let's go to Geosenge. We have ourselves a world to save."


	39. Chapter 39: Life

Chapter 39

* * *

><p>I clutched closer to Tropius, but he was nowhere near as warm as Charizard, and I shivered. Grey clouds were gathering overhead, turning the beautiful noon into a dark patchwork of shadows charged with the gentle electric hum of a thunderstorm about to break and drown the earth below.<p>

Evelyn held tight to her Pokemon's neck in front of me, her dark eyes scanning the ground for the shape of Kiloude City. I knew she had her own doubts, as she had expressed to Ramos.

"We're just supposed to track down a mythical Pokemon, go into the past, and retrieve some ancient shutdown key artifact that might stop a weapon from firing based on the word of a crazy old man?" she had asked before we left, "Does that sound insane to anybody else?"

I hadn't really thought about it, but she was right. Since we had entered the labs, I had just been battling or running or trying to get answers, focusing on my next task, and not really thinking about what it meant or how much sense it made.

"It shouldn't be that hard," said Liz, "Didn't the man say that Wes was worthy? Didn't you say that Celebi has visited you in your dreams before?"

"Yeah," I said. I had seen it twice: once in Laverre City, after the disaster in the swamp, and once in Snowbelle City, after our failed attempt to stop the train. I wondered if the timing of when I saw it meant anything. Both times, it hadn't really told me much, just going on about worthiness, and time, and cryptically saying that I would know all soon.

"Then it stands to reason that the Pokemon will show itself to you," Liz continued, "Celebi is said to have psychic powers, which is probably how it appeared in your dreams. You can safely assume that it will somehow use its power to guide you."

That made sense. I nodded in agreement, but Evelyn had another issue.

"If we do manage to get into the past, how are we supposed to find this shutdown key?" she asked.

"The man said it was like a small orb, right? Didn't he say it was orange with a flower design on it?" suggested Caen, "I'd suggest looking for it by the huge crystal weapon."

"Yeah," I agreed, "Evelyn, we can do this. Let's go."

She had given me an uncertain look, but she had sent out Tropius anyway and we had taken off into the skies where grey clouds were beginning to gather.

I clutched closer to Tropius and shivered.

Time dragged on as we flew, and a few minutes seemed like hours in my impatience to get to Kiloude City. A little while into the flight, Evelyn turned to me.

"Wes," she began, "If we can go into the past, to 3,000 years ago when the man first fired the ultimate weapon, should we try to stop it?"

"Wait, stop it?" I repeated, "We're just supposed to find this shutdown key thing, right?"

"I know, but think," she said, "If this time traveling Pokemon is even real and we can go back in time, shouldn't we do some good while we're there?"

"Change the past?" I said, frowning, "That's not even possible, right?"

"Why not?" she asked.

"I—I don't know," I admitted, shaking my head. I just had never even considered it. But she had a point: If I was worthy to go back in time, I could stop wars, save people from natural disasters, stop my parents from dying… No.

"No," I said, "That's just false hope. The past is the past, Evelyn. Besides, didn't that guy in the prison cell that Celebi wouldn't let him go back in time because he wanted to change history? Maybe the only reason I'm worthy is because I don't want to." I didn't bring up the fact that I mainly just said that out of habit, knowing that obsessing over what I could have had drove me crazy. "Also, what happened ended that war. If AZ hadn't used the weapon, more people and Pokemon would have died, right?"

"Ugh, Wes, maybe you're right," she said, "This whole thing is crazy. I don't know why I even thought of that. I bet that Pokemon doesn't really exist anyway."

"I've seen it before!" I said.

"Yeah, you described a Pokemon that you may have just dreamed up and that crazy old guy instantly said you were right. You basically gave him an invitation and a perfect opportunity to lie. Do you really trust him?" she countered.

"I think," I began. I thought of how he had kept saying 'I' instead of 'he', talking like he was the king in the story, and remembering what I had read about the weapon granting eternal life. I mean, it seemed insane, but I considered what seemed normal to me, the awesome powers of my Pokemon, and decided that maybe my idea wasn't so far-fetched. "I think he's the king from the story. AZ. The man who built the ultimate weapon."

"What?" asked Evelyn, her eyes widening in surprise, "Seriously? From 3,000 years ago?"

"The machine, the ultimate weapon, it grants life," I said, "Remember how we saw him wandering in the desert talking about a Pokemon who was granted eternal life?"

"Um, wow," said Evelyn, "That's—Hey! There's Kiloude City!"

The city below us was small, with a friendly, laid back look. I was sure that the atmosphere would have been sweet and laid-back like most of Southern Kalos if it wasn't covered in ominous shadows from the clouds high above.

"Tropius!" shouted Evelyn, "Let's land!"

The green Pokemon nodded and his eyes narrowed as he flattened his wings and gently glided down, slowing down during descent and hitting the ground with barely any impact. He was much smoother at landing than Charizard.

"So," said Evelyn, returning her Flying Pokemon, "The forest that Ramos talked about is that way. And Wes, tell me if you hear any voices in your head telling you where to go."

I glared at her for her scathing comment, but she ignored me

I followed Evelyn north into the forest, which was pretty sparse and seemed to be stained a deep green color from the shadows overhead. It was very wet, with misty rising from the ground, trapped by the canopy, and the entire forest had an eerie air, the deep green of the trees seeming to somehow bleed into the blue, wet fog.

"So, have any visions yet?" asked Evelyn.

"No," I said, rolling my eyes. My feet crunched through the dead leaves on the ground, and the only sound seemed to be the wild Pokemon who would occasionally scamper around. I hadn't seen any yet, just heard them.

_You're here_.

It was the same voice from my dreams, very patient and slightly condescending.

"Celebi?" I called, looking around, scanning the trees, the ground, and the small river to my right.

"Are you hearing it?" asked Evelyn. I nodded quickly.

_That is what humans call me now._

"How do I find you?" I asked again, hearing my shout somehow echo in the forest.

_Just keep walking following that stream to your right and you will. Also, why are you letting her follow you?_

"Who, Evelyn?" I asked.

_Interesting. Of course. This is how it happens. _

"What? What are you talking about?" I called into the air.

_Just follow the stream. You will know all soon._

Not again. I sighed and began to walk along the small river's bank. Evelyn followed me, her skeptical expression completely gone. Ahead, the ground dropped suddenly and the river became a small waterfall. Two more small rivers ran from different directions, emptying over the small ledge at different angles. A small Pokemon flew up from the space below, its wide blue eyes staring at us intently, its wings beating furiously.

_Welcome, _said Celebi.

Evelyn and I climbed down the dirt and stone wall to the small clearing below, which was decorated by the three waterfalls. The mist seemed to rise all around, but this area was clear.

_You are worthy. You know where you need to go._

I nodded. Suddenly, images appeared on the waterfalls, images of an ancient war, where Pokemon and humans fought on the ground and, high on a fortified hill, overlooking the battle, a man stood by a huge machine shaped like a crystal flower.

Celebi closed its eyes and focused, and a sparkling doorway of light appeared in the middle of the clearing.

_You may proceed. I will retrieve you when you have finished your task. _

I stepped forward and touched my hand to the portal. A ripple spread out from my finger, traveling over and over until the portal was covered in rippling lines of golden energy. Evelyn moved to follow me, but Celebi flew over to block her path.

_You don't go with him. Your presence then would—alter things. You must stay here for now._

Evelyn looked like she was about to protest, but then just shook her head and looked concerned. I was about to step through, but I heard Celebi say one final thing.

_You can do this. You will have an unexpected visitor, but you will still have the chance to obtain the key. _The image of a small orb of orange crystal with the design of an angular, black and red flower appeared on the waterfalls. _And don't feel guilty for what happens next. She loves you more than you know and is doing it for what you believe in- both of them are, actually._

I knew better than to ask Celebi to explain that, and just stepped into the doorway of light. I started to feel myself fade away as I heard Evelyn shout a warning. I felt a grasping hand scratch along back and grab hold of my shirt as the world faded and changed around me.

Dust hit me in the face. The dryness of the area was all I could feel as I emerged from the portal. I saw a brief image of the battle below, but I was too concerned with looking behind me to see who had grabbed my shirt and was still holding it. I quickly shook the hand loose and spun around to see who it was.

"Celosia?" I demanded, completely shocked.

"Wes," she said, brushing some dust off of the purple glass of her visor, "So, this is the war of 3,000 years ago that I've heard so much about. And there's the ultimate weapon!" She pointed to nearby us, up on the higher level of the fort, scanning the crystal shape with her eyewear.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"Xerosic overheard you talking to the prisoner about the shutdown key and ordered me to follow whoever tried to go into the past and stop them from obtaining it," she said, her smile of wonder being replaced by a look of regret, "So, I'm sorry, but I just can't let you succeed here. I've worked way too hard on creating a better world to let you stop me now."

I looked around. We were on a hill that had been fortified with stone walls and floors. Behind Celosia, a set of haphazardly constructed stairs led to where the ultimate weapon was. I could see a man who looked a lot like the prisoner we had met in Lysandre Labs, who I assumed was AZ, tinkering with the machine, and a Floette looking at him with dumbfounded horror.

"Charizard!" I said, throwing a Pokeball, "Fly! Get me up there!"

Charizard appeared and her eyes tracked my gesture to the ultimate weapon. She nodded and I climbed onto her back. She pushed off the ground, her wings beginning to trace a path to the destination I had indicated.

"Blizzard!" cried Celosia from the ground.

Her Froslass screamed, an empty, echoing sound, and unleashed a torrent of cold. Charizard turned so that she was shielding me from the move and bellowed in pain, falling to the stone ground of the fortress. I jumped off her back and reached into my backpack for a healing item.

"Shock Wave!" shouted Celosia.

Froslass gathered its arms close to its chest and began to sparkle, then violently threw its arms out and unleashed a rippling wave of electricity that hit Charizard, making her scream.

"No!" I shouted, watching her write in pain.

"Shadow Ball!" called Celosia, not relenting.

I ran back over to her, grabbing the Charizardite in one hand and pressing it to her side. I held my keystone tightly in my other hand and closed my eyes as the Shadow Ball impacted and detonated, making me feel like my spirit was burning in pain. I closed my eyes, tried to ignore the pain, and focused on my bond with Charizard.

"Wes!" shouted Celosia, crying out when she saw me get hit by the move.

_We're going to get by her. Then we're going to get the shutdown key. We can do this._

_I will make sure that happens, Wes. _

Charizard and I opened our eyes as her transformation finished and she spread her huge, orange wings, spreading embers everywhere. Above us, the sun grew painfully bright, burning on my neck and glinting off the countless weapons and armor below.

Charizard and I used Flame Burst, and the move proved too much for Celosia's Froslass. She returned it and sent out her Drapion and Manectric. I told Charizard that we needed to finish this now, or maybe I just thought it and she understood it, and she finished the battle with a move I hadn't seen before. She beat her powerful wings, swirling the air around her into a frothing torrent, then slashed forward and sent a razor of sky toward Celosia's Pokemon. It hit them both, sending out a wave of concussive force that I could feel standing four meters away, and knocked them out.

"You're the best!" I shouted, and Charizard smiled.

I turned and ran up the stairs as someone screamed from the battlefield below. My feet hit along the crude, light gray stone, and I could hear my breath coming quick.

The man who was standing by the weapon didn't notice me, too intent on the beautiful machine of death in front of him. He hadn't even noticed, but his Floette had turned its back on him and was slowly moving away from him. I scanned the area, and saw a small orb of crystal, the amber color of a sunset with the image of a flower that looked a lot like the one his Floette was carrying carved into its surface. As the man touched something on his necklace to the crystal spire, I grabbed the orange orb and raced down the stairs.

Celebi, I have the shutdown key! You can take me back now! I thought as hard as I could, hoping Celebi could hear me.

"Wes, no!" cried Celosia, standing in my way. Charizard bellowed at her, but she didn't back down. A shimming portal of light appeared on a part of the crude fortress that was directly above the battlefield, where the walls hadn't been constructed yet.

"Celosia, let me through!" I shouted.

"No," she insisted, moving to cut me off from the portal. "You don't understand."

"I don't understand what?" I demanded, "That you're going to kill everybody to make your life batter?"

"We're making a better world!" she shouted.

"You think it's a better world? After you fire that weapon, instead of a mix of good and evil people in the world, there will only be murderers. How's that better?"

"Of course we don't deserve to live!" she shouted, "We've been tainted by what we've been through, by our parents, by life in this world that's drowning in people! But someone has to start over! Someone has to be willing to commit this atrocity. And when we die and our crimes die with us, a new generation will rise, and they'll experience something completely different, something… better… Wes, we of Flare deserve to die. But I would gladly give my life to make a better world for those who come next."

The passion in her words almost blew me away, but I had to keep focused. I finally got frustrated of her in my way and shoved past her. Charizard flew above me as I raced for the portal.

I heard Celosia scream from behind me as she tackled me. My head cracked to the stone floor of the fortress as I clutched the shutdown key close to my chest, protecting it. My head began to ache as I felt Celosia scrabble for the orb.

I rose to my feet and tried to run again, but Celosia grabbed at me and knocked the shutdown key out of my grasp. I tracked it with my eyes as it fell down from the fortress to the side of the hill below, fortunately landing on soft grass and not shattering.

I was about to gesture for Charizard to Fly me over and retrieve it, but I saw a huge object, some kind of huge, burning, stone or missile launched from a catapult below on the battlefield, speeding toward the shutdown key.

I sighed, racking my brain for ideas. There wasn't time for me to get Charizard to shatter it with a move, retrieving it would be suicide…

An orange blur streaked toward the key, outracing the incoming projectile.

I caught one last flash of Charizard, the Pokemon I had known since she was just a little Charmander, the loyal friend who I would fight and train with, the ally who I would chase my dreams with and fly through the sky with, the makeshift family member who would comfort me after my nightmares, struggling, giving her all like she always did, fighting to outrace the stone, her huge wings swirling as she slowed down and threw the orange shutdown key to me, making sure to accomplish the objective I had told her about, her face a satisfied smile as she knew that she had succeed and the projectile crushed her.

I caught the orb.

Charizard died.


	40. Chapter 40: Death

Chapter 40

* * *

><p>The ultimate weapon fired, staining the sky with an iridescent membrane of power. I clutched the orange orb, the shutdown key, and sank to my knees. My ears started ringing.<p>

Charizard.

I mistakenly glanced over at where the primitive missile had hit and saw the trails of blood that were seeping out from under the rock.

Shouts of astonishment came from below as the soldiers tracked the blast from the ultimate weapon, which was climbing higher, away from the earth, splitting through the sky and leaving membranes of energy as a trail.

"Wes, let's go! Now!"

Someone's hand grabbed mine. For a second, I panicked, thinking it was Celosia, and clutched the shutdown key tighter to my chest.

"Wes!"

I looked up, seeing Evelyn. She pulled me through the portal. Celosia, who had been watching the ultimate weapon fire, followed us through.

"Wes, I saw everything," said Evelyn, embracing me as we stepped back onto the soft soil of the forest. The gentle crash of the waterfalls into the small pond seemed muffled, and Evelyn seemed scratchy and folded, as if I was numb everywhere. "I'm so sorry."

Celosia lunged at the shutdown key that I was holding. I instinctually reacted, pushing her back, hard, into the stone wall behind one of the waterfalls. She hit hard and her purple visor flashed, and I would have felt guilty normally, but now I felt nothing but a cramped, anxious numbness. Her orange armor and purple hair were instantly soaked in the falling river. Celebi looked around with vague interest, as if it had seen everything before and was slightly bored.

"You," I said to Celosia. She had knocked the shutdown key into the path of that projectile, forcing Charizard to save it from being crushed. She had forced Charizard to die. I took out Charizard's Pokeball, which looked grey in the forest's unnatural lighting. "You killed my family."

A look of shock flashed across Celosia's face. "Wes. Your Pokemon—Your family. I'm sorry… So, so sorry…"

Behind her, the waterfalls flashed with images. A man throwing a punch, spit flying from his face. A delicate-looking teenage girl with shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes like mine looking into a mirror, staring at herself with pure revulsion. A woman setting a baby boy down on a couch next to broken bottles. The delicate-looking teenage girl playing with a lighter, her eyes covered by a cheap, purple pair of safety glasses, seeing herself reflected in the surface of an empty bottle.

And finally, an image straight from my nightmares. And image of a burning house, a burning man pounding on the door.

I stared at the waterfall.

_The waterfalls are showing her memories, fragments of time that matter to her, _commented Celebi with serenity dissonant to the emotions that all of us were feeling.

"Wes, I," began Celosia, looking at the other two waterfalls and seeing the image of the burning house as the water ran across her face and down her visor.

The image swerved down slightly. The person seeing this image, the same scene that haunted me, looked down, seeing the small boy held by their arms who was squeezing his eyes shut, his blond hair reflecting the orange glow of the fire.

"You saw that?" I asked, too confused to articulate exactly what I wanted to ask her. "What? How?"

"I," she said, tears now leaking out from under her flashing, violet visor, the small strip of royal purple surrounded on both sides by cold grey. Her tears mingled with the flowing waterfall, and, slumped against the wall, halfway in a waterfall, she began to speak. "Wes, I killed our parents."

"You killed them?" I demanded. The numbness was briefly gone, replaced by confusion. A second later, I realized what she had said. "Our parents?"

"What's going on?" asked Evelyn.

"I don't know what to say," she said. Then her mouth tightened into a scowl and she repeated something that had the ring of practice, as if she had said it to herself a thousand times before. "I had to do it!"

The waterfalls projected more images. A man throwing an empty bottle onto the ground, his shirt stained with the liquid he had accidently splashed onto himself while drinking. A man throwing a punch at a crying woman while tears of fear and anticipation blurred the image. A woman drying her tears and injecting something into her arm, setting the used needle down on a table filled with other bloody and used syringes, the whole image vibrating and seen through a small hole in a door, as if the person watching was shaking in fear and locked in a tiny closet.

Celosia looked the waterfalls, relieving her memories and starting to visibly tremble. I saw the images reflected in the purple strip of glass that covered her eyes.

"I took it for twelve years," she said, "When they finally cleaned up and had you, I thought it was a new beginning. We were all a happy family for a while. But after three years, they started again."

A man who had crushed a leaking beverage can under his foot was hitting a woman who looked unfocused and was clutching a needle while a teenage girl was carrying a little boy, barely more than a toddler, out of the room, the whole scene reflected in a broken bottle and seen through the girl's eyes.

"I couldn't let it happen to my little brother. I couldn't let you go through what had happened to me," she continued, "Somehow, I survived it, but I didn't want you to have to. The three clean years had been great, and I didn't want you to ever experience what I had to."

An image of delicate hands throwing chemicals around the house, placing locks on the doors.

"So I stopped it."

An image of picking up the little boy and carrying him out of the house, locking the doors and flicking the lighter.

An image of a house erupting into flames, a man with a burning shirt pounding on the door, and the picture blurring with tears.

"After that, I made sure you were taken care of," she said, ripping off her visor and covering her face with one hand, "I stopped by the Wards' Home in Cyllage City every so often to check on you. I wanted to talk to you, but I could never gather up the courage to do it. I joined Flare a few years ago and I didn't have time to check on you after that, so I didn't recognize you in Glittering Cave because you'd grown so much. I joined Flare because I wanted to make a better world, a world where no one else would suffer like we did. But I've done nothing but hurt you more, from that first time in the cave until now. Wes, little brother, I'm so, so sorry."

"Celosia," I said. Now that my curiosity had been satisfied, I started to feel numb again.

I now knew what the source of my nightmares was. It was the woman in front of me. So my sister hadn't died in the fire. Even though she had killed my parents and sent me to the Wards' Home, I didn't hate her. She had been trying to protect me, even though she had done it in a sick and twisted way, and honestly, I was too emotionally burned out right now to hate anyone.

"I guess I forgive you. For that. For what you did all those years ago. Not for what you just did. Charizard's death is your fault. You can call yourself my sister, and maybe you saved me from being abused, but you just killed someone I loved. Someone who was always there for me. You can say whatever you want, but that Pokemon was more my sister that you ever were."

She began to shake with sobs as the waterfall crashed down on her head. I didn't care right now.

_Your Pokemon. _

Celebi's voice intruded in my mind

_Her last thoughts were that she was so lucky to have met a trainer like you. She wants you to succeed._

I stared at the tiny green Pokemon, wanting to demand that it go back and save her, wanting to scream, or break down. I took a deep breath, forced down my emotions, and mumbled, "Thank you." It had just given me one last insight into her mind. I guess that was something to be grateful for.

"Wes," said Evelyn, "I'm not sure what just happened, but you can tell me later. Right now, we have to go."

I felt numb and didn't move.

"Charizard died to get that key so we could shut down that weapon! She died so that you could live! Don't waste that!"

I looked up at Evelyn, shocked out of my slump. Right now, I felt too drained to do anything. But, Evelyn was right. I had to keep going. I had to save the world because my Charizard wanted me to. My eyes felt hot and trails of salty liquid began to run down my cheeks. I put the beautiful orange orb, the shutdown key, into my bag. I knew, logically, that if she hadn't retrieved this she would have died anyway, along with so many others, but it seemed to me that I had lost Charizard and gotten this pretty piece of stone. I hated this pretty piece of stone.

"Let's go," I said to Evelyn, whose beautiful brown face was now tinged with tiny trails of drying tears even while she fought to stay calm for my sake, "We have to go to Geosenge Town."

Evelyn nodded and took my hand, "You're right."

The two of us climbed out of the misty pit where the waterfalls showed images of the past, a Pokemon of legend hovered boredly, and my sister sat crying, drowning in her memories and her remorse.

Evelyn sent out Tropius and told her Pokemon that we needed to get to Geosenge Town. I followed her, climbing onto Tropius's back. Tropius leapt upward, beating leafy wings. Trails of fog swirling around the flying Pokemon's wake.

I didn't really register any of it. I was holding Charizard's Pokeball and staring at it intently.

"Wes," said Evelyn, "I know you've just lost a Pokemon, but you need to focus."

"You know?" I began, feeling some emotions begin to rise in my chest.

"Wes, I'm just trying to help," she said, cutting me off, "You need to make sure that her death wasn't in vain. So focus on the mission. Focus on what we have to do. Take things one step at a time, and mourn her later when all of the people who we've saved can honor her as a hero." She was talking like she had experience with this. I almost asked about it, but decided that she was right and I needed to focus on what I needed to do right now.

I nodded, and I felt her take my hand. I took Charizard's Pokeball and the Charizardite out of my pocket and put them away in my bag. I looked up at Evelyn. She looked beautiful, with the sun's heat shining through the clear air and lighting her face.

"So, here it is," I said, showing her the shutdown key.

She touched its smooth, orange surface, running a hand along the angular, black and red carving of the flower.

"If we can't stop them from firing the weapon, all we have to do is shut it down with this," I continued.

"Right," Evelyn confirmed, "I mean, it's ancient. It can't fire instantly. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time from when they start to fire it. The man said that you need to touch the orb to the central crystal. Didn't he say that it would be exposed under the weapon?"

I thought of the image of the flower-shaped ultimate weapon I had seen in Xerosic's room.

"How do we get there?" I asked.

"I'm sure there's some way," said Evelyn with false confidence, "Flare had to have some way to get underneath it in order to make it come bursting out of the ground like that."

"Makes sense," I said, "But he said there was another way, too, right?"

"Yeah," Evelyn nodded, "But he said that involved climbing into the firing chamber. That doesn't sound safe, Wes. Especially if they're already starting to fire it when you do. We need to find some way to get underground and have access to the weapon."

I focused on that. A goal. Shut down the weapon. Touch the shutdown key to the underground central crystal. I could do that. And then I could mourn Charizard.

Behind us was Celosia, my sister, who had killed my parents to try to make my life better and save me from suffering. Ahead was a group of fanatics who were trying to kill everyone else to make their own lives better. I was going to stop them.

"Let's do this," I said.


	41. Chapter 41: Order

Chapter 41

* * *

><p>My feet hit the ground hard. I looked around the ruined town of Geosenge. Battles were taking place all over, most of the houses were destroyed, and some kind of energy was in the air that set my teeth on edge.<p>

I recognized Derek, one of the other competitors in the Pokemon League, having a fistfight with a Flare Admin, while Ramos was escorting the local Pokemon Center Nurse through the chaos to where two people with flashy, white costumes were fighting a losing battle against a few orange-suited enemies.

Evelyn recalled Tropius and joined me.

"There's Caen," I said, gesturing to the south.

I ran over to him. He was having a Pokemon battle with five Flare grunts at once, who seemed to be buying time for other orange-suited people to— I couldn't tell what they were doing. Something with Pokemon and the stones that lined Menhir Path. The Pokemon seemed to be struggling.

Even the Flare agents seemed confused.

"What are you doing over here?" one orange-suited man asked another.

"Aliana's orders," said the other one simply, continuing to wrap something around a Pokemon.

"Wes, did you get the key?" asked Caen when he saw me.

"Yeah, I got it," I answered.

"Good," my rival said with a smile, "Hydreigon, Hyper Voice! Wes, Evelyn, go to the Northwest of town. They have a secret hideout up there. I think Liz has been waiting for you two, keeping the doors open. Leave this to me. You two go on!"

"You've got this," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder and faking a smile.

I ran to the Northwest part of town and saw a strange-looking stone monument. Liz was standing in a door that had opened inside the stone structure, wedging it open with her Pokemon while Flare agents attempted to throw them out.

"Thank Arceus," exclaimed Liz, "You're finally here."

Liz let the two of us by, and we squeezed into a small, spotlessly clean elevator. We threw the Flare agents out together, and Liz did something to the control panel that made the elevator start descending slowly.

"You have the shutdown key, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, we have it," answered Evelyn.

And I didn't have something really important. My hand touched my bag where I had put Charizard's Pokeball. I forced myself to focus on the task again as I felt sadness begin to crash down on me.

"How's Korrina?" asked Evelyn, "She was really sad earlier after she lost to Lysandre."

"She's down below with Dominic, fighting," said Evelyn, "She's determined to beat Lysandre this time, and prove that he's wrong. I came back up here to stop those Flare agents from barricading the elevator. So I guess the plan is to escort you two down to the ultimate weapon. Flare has a huge base down here, but you can see the weapon from some windows the first room. You need to get down there as quickly as possible. They're already preparing to fire the ultimate weapon. Who has the shutdown key?"

"I do," I answered, showing it to her.

"Right, then," she said, "Since they've begun to fire the weapon already, the only way to shut it down is with that key. This weapon is ancient and takes a while to fire, so we still have time to shut it down. Our first priority is ensuring that Wes gets to the ultimate weapon. Undoubtedly, Flare will try to block our path. If they cut you off, Wes, just pass the orb off to someone else."

The doors opened, revealing a pristine room of pure white with tables, computers, and charts scattered around. Scientists in white coats were working diligently, and Flare agents were trying to throw Dominic and Korrina out. Through a window in the back, I could see three black wires that pulsated green stretching upwards.

Lysandre stood in front of the windows, surveying the chaos in front of him.

"All systems are go for the Ultimate Weapon. All we have to do is charge it using every bit of that thing's power," reported a scientist in a white lab coat. Lysandre nodded at the report and noticed Evelyn, Liz, and I as we entered the room.

"The ultimate weapon's flower has finally bloomed above the soil," said Lysandre, the sound of his passionate voice making everyone in the room stop what they were doing to listen, "Don't you find its beauty captivating? As we speak, it draws its energy from the Legendary Pokémon—that pyramid of rock. Noble Foes! I apologize that the weapon was unearthed even after you passed our tests in the lab. But conflicting egos drive this world-things don't always go the way you want!"

"Lysandre, stop this now!" cried Korrina, "While you still can!"

Lysandre responded with the ease of a well-rehearsed speech. "Even though resources, space, and energy on this planet are limited, the number of people and Pokémon has increased to an unsustainable level. Whether it's money or energy, the ones who steal, the ones with cruelty in their hearts, are the ones who win in this world, while others are forced to starve and suffer. I don't want to live in this world. Try and stop us if you wish, but know that we of Flare are dedicated. Flare! Show these intruders what we believe in!"

Lysandre bowed his head and sighed, leaving the room through a side door.

"The lower levels are that way," said Liz, who was looking at a map of the base on the wall. "Hey Dominic, Korrina!" The two turned to look at her. "We need to get Wes to the lowest level, now!"

I stopped to look down through the window briefly, seeing a perfectly balanced pyramid of rock on a glowing green platform far below. I tore my gaze away and ran over to where everyone else was.

"We got the key," I assured Dominic and Korrina, "Let's go."

The five of us rushed toward the door.

"You can't come through here!" declared a male Admin, his white suit as spotless as the base, "The legendary Pokemon is at the end of this passage!"

"You idiot!" called a female grunt, disrespecting her superior, "Why would you tell them that?"

"I'll take these fools," Korrina said, "I'll catch up later when I beat them. It shouldn't be too long. Go on."

We kept going, down a staircase and through another white hallway with lights in the floor that illuminated the passage, which kept going downward.

"Why are you opposing us?" asked a female Admin, who appeared from nowhere to block our way at the end of another white staircase with a male grunt at her side, "Do you actually think that all living things can truly be happy? One person's pleasure is another person's pain, right? I need to stop you here, before you cause more pain for all of us."

Evelyn stepped forward to take her challenge, gesturing for the rest of us to go on.

Dominic, Liz, and I raced down two more staircases. We had to be getting close to the room.

"Are we getting close?" I asked Liz.

"Yes," she answered, "According to the map I saw, it should be down two more staircases and on the left."

Another Admin appeared to block our way, a grunt slumped against a wall behind him.

Dominic approached him and sent out his Azumarill.

"So you think we're just gonna have a Pokemon battle, and then when I lose I'll step aside and act all nice and let you go by?" he demanded, "There's no way I can beat you in a Pokemon battle, but I'm not gonna let you get past me."

In one smooth motion, he drew a gun and pointed it at Azumarill.

"Whatever it takes," the Admin said to himself more than us. He fired.

Time seemed to slow down as I looked on helplessly. I was too far away to do anything. Another Pokemon was about to die. Like Charizard. Dominic was about to lose a fourth Pokemon. I was still pretty surprised that the man had a gun. Decades ago, when Kalos's police force had been strong instead of the weak joke it is today, there had been a region-wide firearms ban that was brutally enforced. Guns were almost impossible to find now.

One of those rare guns was in the hands of a Flare Admin, about to kill Dominic's Azumarill. And I couldn't do anything about it.

Azumarill stared at the bullet as it sliced through the air toward the space between the Water and Fairy Pokemon's head. Dominic's Pokemon closed its eyes resolutely as the chunk of metal approached. At that moment, Liz blurred into instinctual action, lunging at Dominic's Pokemon and knocking it out of the way. The bullet tore through her shoe, grazing her skin and leaving a mark but not doing serious damage.

"L—Liz," said Dominic, looking at her with surprise and gratitude.

"I didn't want to see you hurt like that again," she said, the memory of how he had been after he lost his Pokemon obviously on her mind.

The two of them stared into each other's eyes, seeming to forget everything that was going on around them while they did so. Dominic struggled to articulate his thanks, his words seeming to melt away as he looked into Liz's eyes. Liz took his hands.

The Flare Admin seemed to be distracted by what was going on between them, and I used that chance to get the gun away from him.

"The Ultimate Weapon is 40% charged," stated someone over the intercom.

"Hey!" I called, interrupting their 'special moment', "We have something to do, remember?" I shoved the Admin back as he lunged for his gun.

Dominic and Liz faced off against the Admin and the agent, telling me to go on.

I ran on, alone, down the last staircase, and turned to my right, where a set of double glass doors opened to the central room I had seen from above. The stone pyramid sat resolutely on top of a pulsating machine that seemed to be draining energy from it and sending it upward through the wires. That pyramid must be the legendary Pokemon in its dormant stage. The pyramid was perfectly balanced, as if it had some perfect order to it.

"You've gotten pretty far, haven't you," said the woman blocking the door in front of me, "I can't tell you how surprised I am to meet you again, here."

She stepped forward. I recognized from the Pokeball Factory and the Holo Caster, as well as from when I had seen her before on TV. The Elite Four's Fire master and a Flare Admin, Malva.

"You impressed me back at the Pokeball Factory for standing up for yourself with courage, as well as how excellently your Pokemon were trained. But how can you stand against us now? Can't you understand what we're doing?"

"You're planning to kill billions of innocent people," I answered.

"We're creating a better world for the billions who will come after us! I'm burning with rage for anyone who insults our honor! I will make sure you can't get in to sabotage our dreams! I am holding the line here!"

She glared at me and procured a Pokeball from her suit pocket. I braced myself. I did have all eight Gym badges now, so I probably could stand a chance against her. After all, the Elite Four would be my next challenge if I managed to place highly enough in the Pokemon League Tournament, but I didn't have time for a battle now. If I didn't get by her, there would be no Tournament.

"Torkoal!" she called, sending out a Pokemon. She noticed my hesitation and threatened me. "I'm burning with anticipation! Let's begin!"

I was about to send out Flygon when someone I hadn't seen in a long time intervened.

"I remember you," said a soft voice behind, "We met before in Lumiose City and Coumarine City, didn't we? Your name is Wes, isn't it?"

"Diantha?" I asked. I hadn't expected to see her here.

"Did you finally decide to join us?" asked Malva with interest.

"No, like I told Lysandre, I won't join you," Diantha said softly to Malva, but there was steel behind her delicate voice, "Wes, Augustine told me what has happened. You are the one with the, what was it? The shutdown device?"

"Yes," I said.

"Excellent," she said, "You seem to somehow be in the middle of this situation. It's pretty cool, right? I'm sorry, I mean, there's no time for small talk now. Go on. Do whatever you have to."

"Are you sure you can handle this?" I asked, "Malva's one of the Elite Four." I may just have eight badges, but I was sure I was more capable than a movie star and a part-time trainer. Malva snorted at me like I had just said something stupid.

"Oh, don't worry about me," said Diantha with a knowing smile on her face, "I know I promised to have a battle with you, but it will have to wait until next time."

"What a waste, Diantha," declared Malva angrily, "You should have joined us."

"Aurorus, action!" said Diantha.

Her Pokemon appeared, graceful and elegant, and created a whirlwind of snow that knocked Malva off-balance enough for me to get by her. I opened the doors and entered the darkened chamber that I had seen from above right as Diantha's Aurorus knocked Malva's Torkoal out in one hit.

Okay, maybe I underestimated her. She must do a lot of training in her free time. Maybe it's her way of dealing with the stress of being a celebrity.

"The Ultimate Weapon is 70% charged," declared someone over the intercom.

I focused again. I had to shut down this weapon. I looked around the room. In the center was the platform I had seen before. It was circular and made of cold, black metal, with glowing green lines highlighting its smooth surface. The perfectly balanced pyramid, the dormant legend, sat on the center of the platform, lit by an emerald light from below. Huge black tubes seemed to be pumping energy from the legendary Pokemon's dormant form to the crystal structure high above, and lines of energy were traveling up. I scanned the room, and saw a nearby ladder that ran the up the side of the wall to the ceiling, where the ultimate weapon had broken through the ground. I would be able to touch the shutdown key to the crystal if I climbed to the top.

As I was about to start climbing, I had an idea. I could try it, and if it didn't work I still would have the shutdown key, so it was worth a try. I looked again at the huge tubes that seemed to be channeling energy to the weapon. If the weapon was only about 70% charged now, and they were using this machine to charge it, all I had to do to stop them from charging it might be just destroying the tubes.

I sent out one of my Pokemon. "Salamence, Dragon Pulse!"

The huge pipes broke under the strain of the blast of energy, and green plasma began venting from them, lighting the dark air.

The sound of the intercom drowned out the hissing sound of the escaping green energy.

"There's been a massive problem!" came the worried voice over the intercom, "The ultimate weapon is losing energy! Something is wrong with the energy delivery system! We can't fire the ultimate weapon!"

The sound of an alarm, that, like everything else about this place, was somehow beautiful despite its harshness, began to drone softly.

I sank to my knees, more numb than ever. So that was all? I had stopped the weapon? I didn't even need the shutdown key?

So… Charizard had died for nothing?

My chest felt cold and empty, and I somehow felt like I was falling. I bowed my head. Salamence growled softly.

A green glow caught my attention. I looked up to see what it was. Glowing lines of emerald energy were spreading along the surface of the pyramid, and brilliant lines of power were radiating from its smooth surfaces. A green corona of energy formed around the stone shape, and then exploded outward, washing over me in a wave of power. A serpentine shape unfolded itself, its hexagonal green scales flashing white, a magnificent row of spikes unfurling behind its streamlined head. It raised its head upward and gave a chilling cry, and then leapt forward at me.

**Z**

It locked onto Salamence and attacked in a fury, whipping its powerful body around, the scales on its green chest burning white, its blank, hexagonal eyes narrowed.

So this was the legendary Pokemon? I had no idea what it was called or what abilities it had, but it was obviously attacking in a panic. I would have to defend myself and Salamence while it calmed down.

"Salamence, Headbutt!" I called.

Salamence met the frenzied Pokemon's next attack literally head on, and the two collided into a stalemate, pushing against each other, straining with force. For a moment, it looked like they were equals in strength, but then the legendary Pokemon drew on more power and its green scales blazed with light, and it flung Salamence into the darkened wall of the chamber.

After that, it looked at me.

"I'm not your enemy," I said calmly, "I freed you."

Something like understanding seemed to flash across the legendary Pokemon's eyes, and it nodded to me approvingly. Salamence roared at the Pokemon, but I gestured for him to stop. It looked like the legendary Pokemon understood me. It coiled its body and stretched out along the ground, slithering over to me. It closed its eyes and bowed its head toward me respectfully, and I bowed to it as well. It seemed like my gesture, and nuzzled me playfully, a surprising gesture from such an intimidating Pokemon. Salamence bowed to it as well, and it bowed back.

A door on the opposite side of the room opened with a hydraulic hiss, and Lysandre strode out of the glowing, white passage into the room of black metal.

"So this is the mighty Zygarde?" he asked, looking at the legendary Pokemon's serpentine form. I remembered the name Zygarde from the research room in Lysandre Labs. "Enough power to balance out Xerneas or Yveltal, and such magnificence…"

"Wes," he said, "Augustine has told me much about you. You saved him from a gang in Lumiose City, and are able to master the power of Mega Evolution. You have involved yourself again and again in Flare's operations. It also seems that you have been able to befriend Zygarde, one of the legends of the Kalos regions. It appears that you are truly a chosen one, a worthy opponent indeed."

"You see, when there is only one of something, it can't be shared. When something can't be shared, it will be fought over. And when something is fought over, some must survive without it. The only way to create a world where people live in beauty, a world without conflict or theft, is to reduce the number of living things. I need that legendary Pokemon to power the ultimate weapon once I rebuild this machine you have destroyed. So I'm afraid I will have to take it away from you. Mienshao, lend me your strength!"

An elegant Pokemon appeared in front of him, smiling threateningly at me.

"Salamence, let's-," I was about to call on my Pokemon, who was standing beside me, when the serpentine legendary Pokemon, Zygarde, slithered in front of my and screamed an echoing cry at Lysandre.

"The mighty Zygarde wants to battle alongside a human?" asked Lysandre incredulously.

"You want to fight with me?" I asked. I guessed that it made sense that it wanted to fight the man who had tried to drain its life force into a weapon of mass destruction. I wondered how conscious it had been while in its dormant form. But, I didn't even know any of its moves. How was I supposed to battle with it? Salamence moved off to the side, and Zygarde bowed toward me again.

"High Jump Kick, Mienshao!" Lysandre ordered, "Show them our strength!"

Mienshao narrowed its eyes and nodded to its trainer, jumping up and kick out, speeding toward Zygarde.

"Zygarde," I said, "Counterattack!"

Zygarde tracked Mienshao's movement, slithered out of the way, and then blasted Lysandre's Pokemon in the back with a move I recognized as it sailed past. Mienshao crashed into the wall, propelled even faster by Zygarde's move, and fainted.

"That was Dragon Pulse," I said to Zygarde. The twisting stands of energy had been larger, and were green and white instead of the red and blue color that I was used to, but I still recognized the move. Zygarde nodded approvingly.

"Honchkrow!" shouted Lysandre.

"Zygarde, Dragon Pulse!" I called a move to a legendary Pokemon of the Kalos Region. Honestly, it was a pretty cool feeling, and I was starting to feel less empty, focusing on the task of defeating Lysandre along with my new ally. I smiled Zygarde's powerful move. Maybe it was Dragon type. That would be fitting, as I had somehow ended up with a team of almost all Dragon Pokemon.

The green, geometric scales on the crests behind Zygarde's head pulsed with light, and a white blast of energy surrounded by twisting lines of green burst forth from the legend's body and smashed into Honchkrow. Lysandre's Pokemon roared as energy poured around its body like a flood tide, and then, clawing at the ground, went down struggling with its magnificent black wings extended.

"So this is the power of a legendary Pokemon," said Lysandre, "But I won't give up. Pyroar!" As soon as the Pokemon appeared in front of him, tendrils of fire radiating from its mane, he called for a Hyper Voice.

The horribly echoing shout made my ears fill with agony. Zygarde was apparently enraged, too, and suddenly the ground underneath Pyroar erupted with pure fury. The Fire Pokemon fainted in the churning ground, but the floor somehow wasn't disturbed when the attack ended.

"I have no idea what that move was," I admitted to Zygarde, "But it was amazing. It was like the land's anger!"

Zygarde cocked its head, as if to say 'close enough'.

"I can't believe it has come to this," said Lysandre, "Gyarados, let's join our souls and Mega Evolve!"

"We can't let them finish that," I said to Zygarde as whiplashing strands of power extended from Lysandre's keystone to the glowing Mega Stone Gyarados was clutching in its mouth. "Do you have an electric move?"

Zygarde thought for a bit, then nodded, and a wave of pulsating lightning burst forth from its body, dousing Gyarados in electricity. I was pretty sure the move was Shock Wave. However, Lysandre's Pokemon gritted its teeth, held on, and its body dissolved in energy, expanding outward. Its armor grew more menacing and jagged fins extended from its back and sides.

"Outrage!" called Lysandre, his eyes burning with passion.

Gyarados burned with energy, which radiated from its massive, hovering form in a beautiful pattern like a sunburst before charging at Zygarde, flailing with its fangs gnashing.

"Zygarde, you're strong," I said, maybe unnecessarily, to the legend, "You can endure this."

Zygarde cried out in pain. The move seemed to be doing a lot of damage. Maybe it was super effective.

"Aqua Tail!" commanded Lysandre next.

"Zygarde! Finish this!"

Zygarde roared as the Aqua Tail connected, countering with a move that made it seem like the land was striking down Gyarados with the fury of a thousand arrows. Gyarados fainted, and Lysandre cried out in anguish.

"You are truly powerful, but what are you protecting? A tomorrow that will only be worse than today? Fools with no vision will continue to destroy this world until the last scrap of hope is extinguished."

Lysandre returned Gyarados, and stormed out of the room.

Zygarde was obviously injured, so I used a Hyper Potion on it. It seemed to smile at me despite not having a mouth, and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally all over.

As soon as the Pokemon appeared in front of him, tendrils of fire radiating from its mane, he called for a Hyper Voice.

A piece of the chamber's curved black walls exploded above. Evelyn jumped down, crouching and rolling to minimize the impact of the three meter fall.

"Wes, you stopped the weapon? Great," she said, breathless and sounding worried.

"Ahahahaha!"

A sinister cackle broke the silence, and Aliana jumped down from above, clutching some kind of staff. Faster than I could react, she landed near Evelyn, brutally beat her with the staff, connecting blows to her head, her ribs, and her knees that crunched disgustingly before kicking my friend into the wall. Aliana then took a knife with a blade dripping with poison and threw it straight on a trajectory for Evelyn's eye.

Evelyn screamed and raised her hands to shield her face. The knife stuck, embedded partially through both of Evelyn's palms, which she had raised to cover her face, and the tip only managed to slightly scratch her face.

Evelyn screamed, and Aliana licked her lips, seeming to enjoy the noise. "Oh, Wes! My favorite little playmate!" She declared happily when she saw me.

I was staring with horror at Evelyn, who was struggling to remove the knife, a task made harder by the fact that it had impaled both of her hands and pinned them together. Blood was beginning to leak from the wound.

"Zygarde, can you heal her?" I asked my new ally. Lysandre had said that it had power over both life and death, so I figured it was worth a try.

Zygarde nodded and slithered over to Evelyn, gently prying her hands apart and beginning to channel its energy into her.

"A legendary Pokemon," said Aliana appreciatively, "You have a cool life, Wes. I've missed seeing you lately. You're so much fun to play with. But I have to admit, your friend does make some delicious screams."

"You sick—" I began, but Aliana cut me off.

"Oh yeah, you stopped the ultimate weapon," she said, speaking much more seriously than she usually did, "This is why Lysandre chose me to work with him. As you may have been able to tell, we have very different values. He can't understand the beauty watching others suffer and scream, for one thing. So he picked me to make those compromises he never could. For example, this backup plan for firing the ultimate weapon is something he never would have thought of."

"Xerosic, Lysandre's plan failed as expected. The backup is ready, right? Punch it!" she said, speaking into the communicator on her wrist.

"You know those stones on route 10, the Menhir Trail? I've connected the Pokemon we caught using those Pokeballs I stole from the Factory to them, and I'm going to use those Pokemon's life forces to fire the weapon. Those stones have natural properties that make them perfect energy conduits. Lysandre was way too idealistic, thinking that he could fire this weapon at the cost of only one life! It will take the hundreds of Pokemon we've connected to charge this beautiful weapon. Having your life force drained probably hurts, wouldn't you think? I wish I could watch them suffer…"

I swore viciously at her, causing her to flinch back.

"Ultimate Weapon systems are back online!" announced the intercom. "Charge is at 10% and rising!"

I grabbed my backpack, put it on my back, and began to climb the ladder. I had to shut the weapon down, and, thanks to Charizard, I had the key that would let me do it.

"Oh, that's right, you have the shutdown key, don't you?" said Aliana. "I remember hearing something like that. I can't let you stop the Ultimate Weapon! It will be so… mmm, delicious when it fires! Duck and cover! I'd recommend getting off that ladder!"

I saw the shape of a grenade go flying toward the ladder above me and jumped off in panic, hitting the floor hard, making sure the shutdown key was safe, and, covering my head.

"Fooled ya! It was just a dud!" said Aliana happily. She used my fall to get in front of the ladder, block my way, and send out her Druddigon.

"Let's have a battle!" she exclaimed happily, in a high-pitched, little-kid voice.

"Merde! I don't have time for this!" I roared.

"I know," she said, smiling at me. "But if you want to climb that ladder, you'll have to beat me first. Oh, since you're so fun to play with, I did some research on you. It's amazing how much you can piece together from Holo Caster conversations, and Flare watches them all. Remember this?"

She drew the shape of a syringe from a container on the back of her armor. I first thought of Celosia's memories of my mom, but then recognized it. It was Solfanaria.

"Now why would people leave perfectly good drugs just lying around? Maybe 'cause I made somebody eat a grenade and they all ran away? No, of course not! They're just wasteful," she said, while circling around to in front of her Druddigon. "Aww, you're so scaly. Where am I gonna inject this? Oh, I know!"

She moved her arm with lightning speed, impaling her Druddigon's soft, vulnerable eye with the cold, metal needle. Her Pokemon roared and jerked back in pain before Aliana could remove the needle, tearing its soft, white, gooey eye tissues.

I felt like I wanted to vomit. Aliana's Pokemon was holding its face in pain, but I knew that in a few seconds it would be an aggressive monster that could feel no pain. Evelyn was slumped against a wall, and looked terrible despite Zygarde's best efforts to heal her. Up above, my friends were still locked in battle against the Flare fanatics, and a weapon was charging up to destroy the world. My heart ached as I missed Charizard, but I focused again on the task at hand. Salamence flew to in front of me, steeling himself. He recognized the drug too, and his teeth were set in fury.

Aliana cocked her head and grinned innocently, like a little, carefree, innocent girl.

"Let's play."


	42. Chapter 42: Sacrifice

Chapter 42

* * *

><p>I jumped back, sweat dripping down my face already. Aliana laughed and swung the staff at me again. I tried to block it, but she swept it around to a particularly painful spot and I felt my mouth fill with a metallic tang. I choked and spat, coughing blood all over myself.<p>

"We'll burn the world to ashes!" shouted Aliana.

Salamence roared and Headbutted Druddigon, but Aliana's Pokemon didn't even seem to notice. Foaming at the mouth, Druddigon sank its claws into Salamence's sides and began to viciously tear at my Pokemon's flesh with its jaws.

"So where did you get something that could shut down our Ultimate Weapon, anyway? Xerosic told me you had something, but not where you'd gotten it from. I mean, you may be a lot of fun, but you're just a teenager. How do you have something that can shut down a doomsday device from 3,000 years ago?" she asked while swinging her staff at such a speed that I heard it vibrate as it cut through the air.

"Shut up, you chienne!" I yelled. I had gotten it from going into the past, and it had cost my Charizard her life.

"Aww, did I touch a little nerve?" she asked. She began to giggle.

Salamence blasted Druddigon off him with a relentless Dragon Pulse, but he looked exhausted and was bleeding freely from the wound Druddigon had just torn in his side.

"Salamence, ret—," I broke off partway through that with a cry of pain as Aliana smashed my hand with her staff, knocking the Pokeball away from me.

"Oh, don't end the fun now," she chided playfully, "It's just getting good!"

My hand burned with the force of her hit. I tried to run around her and get to the ladder, but she swept my legs out from under me and cracked me in the side of the head with her staff. Tiny bursts of pulsing yellow light appeared all over my field of vision, and my hearing stopped working correctly.

Aliana removed another poisoned blade from the compartment on her armor's back and threw it at me, on a course to hit my left eye. The same eye she had aimed for on Evelyn, the same one she had stabbed on my Fraxure.

Fortunately, Zygarde blasted it off course with a Dragon Pulse, and the knife hit the wall behind me. Zygarde was continuing to pour energy into Evelyn, and it seemed to be working. She had been extremely pale a few minutes ago, but now the ebony brown color was starting to return to her skin.

I dove for the Pokeball and returned Salamence, ignoring the sharp jabs of agony that the movement triggered in my head. Salamence looked relieved and slipped back into the Pokeball in a storm of diamond-dust plasma. That would stabilize him for now, at least until I could get him some medical attention.

"Ultimate Weapon charged to 40%!" announced the intercom.

If there was still medical attention to give him.

Druddigon's drug-addled, blank eyes wandered across the room.

"My Pokemon needs a playmate," she said, drawing a second knife. She threw it, and sliced open one of the pocket of my cargo pants. A Pokeball fell from the ruined pocket.

That was creepy. She memorized where I kept my Pokeballs. She flipped the Pokeball up off the ground with her feet like a soccer player and threw it.

"Oh, how perfect. I remember you," she said, "So you've evolved, huh? Remember Druddigon?"

Sliggoo appeared there in the black, metal room, facing off against the Pokemon that had mauled him and torn him to pieces. Sure, he had now evolved, but Druddigon was on Solfanaria, and the hole in its eye was only making it angrier.

Sliggoo fired off a Dragonbreath, but Druddigon didn't even seem to feel it. Aliana's Dragon grabbed mine, picked him up, and ran with him, slamming him into a wall.

Aliana giggled and held her staff horizontally. She charged at me and started pressing me back. She was shockingly strong. I resisted her, but she swept one of legs and drove me back. She slammed me into a wall, keeping me pinned with her staff, which was made of dark grey metal and so cold I could feel it through my shirt.

"Let's finish them together, Druddigon!" she said happily to her Pokemon, but it seemed to ignore her. "Oh, yeah, on drugs, can't understand me right now, that whole thing. I forgot. Oh, well."

She drew a far more sinister blade from her back compartment. Instead of the glinting, perfectly polished, streamlined design of her throwing knives, this one was thin, curved, and bent, pitted and rusted.

"This knife means a lot to me," she said, "Once, it stole something very precious from me. Why does revenge never make you feel any better? Anyway, it's been fun, but I think I'm going to end it. Bye, Wes."

Zygarde didn't seem to notice what was going on, in some kind of healing trance that seemed to have almost finished and completely healed Evelyn. I called out to the legendary Pokemon, but it couldn't hear me. Druddigon opened its jaws around Sliggoo's neck, prepared to land what would likely be the killing blow. Aliana gently touched the knife to my neck, then swung it back and prepared to do the same.

"Sliggoo!" I called, "Don't let it end! We have to stop this! For…" For Evelyn, for my friends, for all of the people I knew, for Charizard. But how could we? There was no way this was going to end well. "Sliggoo, I'm just glad we got the chance to meet and battle together." Sliggoo turned toward me and made a bittersweet sound, almost a warble of farewell. Then I noticed the shape of something streamlined and shiny in the wall beside me when Zygarde had deflected it, and realized that maybe it wasn't over.

"Don't give up!" I yelled, pulling the throwing knife out of the wall, "Give it everything you have!"

Sliggoo nodded and suddenly rings of power surrounded its body. I plunged Aliana's own knife into her arm. She gasped in shock and I spun around and shoved her, hard, into the wall, where she crumpled. Sliggoo's body expanded and elongated, and he crushed Druddigon into the ground with Draco Meteor.

Zygarde cried out happily, and Evelyn opened her eyes and began to breathe normally again. My newly evolved Pokemon, who looked cute and happy despite the fact that he was taller than I was now, walked over to my side on his newly formed legs.

I looked up at the ladder, which stretched toward the exposed crystal on the ceiling.

"Ultimate Weapon charged to 60%!" announced the intercom.

"Evelyn, are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she said, looking at Zygarde in curiosity, "Thanks to whoever this Pokemon is."

"Evelyn, meet Zygarde," I introduced, "The legendary Pokemon who Flare was transporting on that train."

"Wes, that's cool and all, but you need to use the shutdown key now. Focus, remember? Look, there's a ladder. You can get access to the central crystal from there. Hurry and do it now. It's probably suicide to try and shut it down from above," she said, pointing.

I nodded. That had been my thought exactly. I crossed the room and placed my hands on the ladder, ready to end this finally.

"So that's how you're going to shut down the ultimate weapon," slurred Aliana, standing up jerkily.

She tore away the cloth of her armor on her midriff, revealing rows of explosives packed together tightly against her skin. She pressed a button, and a loud ticking noise filled the room.

"Like it? I thought the whole countdown noise was a nice touch," she slurred, rubbing her jaw, "I'm packing enough explosives to demolish most of this base. And the countdown is getting close to zero. You have no time to escape."

Then she smiled, "But you're Wes. I'm sure you'll find a way. And even if you do, you'll have to shut the weapon down from above? Didn't the pretty little crying girl say that was suicide for you?"

Aliana ripped the visor off her face, revealing that most of her face was shockingly beautiful, with soft cheekbones, flawless skin, a delicate nose, and a beautiful green eye. However, her left eye ruined the rest of the picture. It was nothing but a melted mass of disgusting scar tissue. Her left eye, the same that she had stabbed on Fraxure and her Druddigon, the same eye that she had tried to hit on me and Liz, had been mutilated sloppily with messy, still-visible knife strokes, almost like she had done it herself.

"You lose," Aliana said simply.

Aliana exploded.

* * *

><p>The world swam back into focus. I was laying on the grass in darkened, ruined Geosenge Town. Somehow, I was still alive. I felt the ground rumble and shake beneath me as the subterranean explosion destabilized the land below.<p>

"How did I get here?" I asked out loud to no one.

I saw other people around as well, Dominic, Liz, Korrina, Flare agents, Admins, and scientists. Diantha and Malva were still locked in battle, Talonflame against Gardevoir.

Zygarde slithered up to me and tilted its head toward the people around.

"Did you do this?" I asked.

Zygarde nodded. I smiled. It was nice having a legendary Pokemon on my side. It had gotten everyone out of the base somehow. Everyone except Aliana.

I looked at the giant, crystal shape of the Ultimate Weapon. Green energy was amassing in crisscrossing crescents, auroras of devastating power. I could see the central crystal from here. To reach it, I would have to climb up on one of the petals and walk through the clouds of power. It would probably be suicide. I looked around. Everyone was up here, and the Ultimate Weapon barely had more than 60% power. We definitely had time to come up with another way. Maybe we could disconnect the Pokemon from the stones. I looked to the south of town, where Caen and his team were trying to pry a captured Inkay away from a stone.

"It's not over!" shouted Lysandre, running over to me. He was wearing some kind of cybernetic suit, with an orange visor over his eyes, a spiked gauntlet on his wrist, and some kind of backpack that was connected to three flying machines, "For me, victory is using the Ultimate Weapon and cleansing the world of its stains. In order to do that, I'll use this machine to reclaim the legendary Pokemon's life force and send it back into the weapon once again. Stand aside."

"No," I said, getting in the way as he aimed his gauntlet at Zygarde, "No more killing. Just let me shut the weapon down."

"Perhaps you're right," said Lysandre, lowering his aimed gauntlet. He took four Pokeballs from his pocket and set them gently on the ground, "You are, after all, the kind of person who deserves to live in this world, the kind of person who can even defeat my convictions and befriend legends. Terrorists are reviled, but martyrs are heroes. Wes! I want you to witness the beauty of my new world. Get my organization, Flare, and your friends to safety. The new world starts with loyal people like my organization and determined fighters like your friends."

Lysandre touched controls on the gauntlet, then pointed it at his own chest.

"Goodbye."

The gauntlet flashed with a golden light. Lysandre's body turned to dust and cascaded downward, and golden energy from his core spiraled into the machine. It then sent that energy to the ultimate weapon. I heard something that sounded suspiciously like the cry of a Froslass, but I ignored it. Had Lysandre just used his own life force to give the Ultimate Weapon the final bit of power it needed?

Green and gold auroras surged between the crystal petals of the Ultimate Weapon, and the whole thing seemed to be building to critical mass.

"Ultimate Weapon charged to 99%!" shouted a scientist from Flare, checking the tablet he was holding. I was surprised it was still connected to the computers below, and that Aliana hadn't destroyed them.

99%. Merde. There wasn't time to think of a better way. I had to act now.

"Zygarde, can you do anything?" I asked.

The legendary Pokemon shook its head sadly and helplessly.

"Well then, I guess I have to," I said softly, emptying my cargo pockets.

"Wes, no!" shouted Evelyn, recognizing what I was doing and running up to me.

"I have to," I said, a little sadly. The numbness in my chest was gone, replaced by a more comfortable feeling. I smiled in spite of myself.

Evelyn shook her head and then closed her eyes and kissed me. I was dazed for a few seconds by the intensity of it, but then focused on her face as she started to speak. "Wes-"

"Bye," I said. I had kind of seen that coming for a long time. I squeezed her hand one last time, drew the shutdown orb from my bag, and waved to Liz, Dominic, and Caen, who had gotten up and were walking over. Liz and Dominic held hands and looked sad and Caen looked oddly jealous. They all waved to me, in a bittersweet way, realizing what I was about to do. I smiled and quickly climbed up onto one of the crystal petals.

I heard someone climbing up behind me, but ignored it. It was probably just a Flare goon trying to stop me. The explosive corona of energy around the weapon was growing larger every second.

I had to stop it.

I took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of the crisp air.

I took off running.

Right before I entered the haze of energy surrounding the Ultimate Weapon, something slammed into me.

Someone, actually. Someone who I recognized even when she wasn't wearing her orange armor or her purple visor. A pair of blue eyes, the same color as mine. Blond hair dyed purple. Some kind of black, athletic outfit.

The orb, the shutdown key, was suddenly no longer in my hands. A shape was running into the energy, dissolving away in the arcing blasts of green and gold, touching the shutdown key to the central crystal.

The energy dissipated explosively, and a wave of golden-green force burst and scattered outward from the ultimate weapon as it shut down. The figure within burned away.

It was all over.

Celosia, the last member of my family, had given her life for me.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Hey everybody, it's River. If you've stuck with me, thanks. The climax is finally over, and our heroes made it out. Well, most of them. I'm honestly honored by all of my reviews and favorites, so thank you guys! Up next is the Pokemon League Tournament. It'll be interesting, I promise. It's a little hard to believe that my story is already almost over. Thanks again to my readers. I love you guys! Please review.<strong>


	43. Chapter 43: Beginnings

Chapter 43

There was a Rhyhorn.

In front of the small, cute house enclosed in Vaniville Town's walls, there was a sleeping Rhyhorn, its large, plated sides rising and falling with its every breath.

The houses all shared a roof now. That added to the quaint, small-town feel of the place. No one looking on from the outside would ever have guessed what took place in the house in front of me.

Actually, it didn't take place in that house. The building I was looking at had been built on top of another one, one that burned to the ground.

"Uh, hi," I heard a slightly nervous voice begin, "Are—are you looking for something?"

A girl with blond hair, black tights and a very tight black top, a frilly red skirt, and a pink hat and purse was standing in front of me. She seemed like the kind of person who follow all of the fashion trends.

"No," I said, "I just, um, used to live here, I guess. It sounds kind of awkward. I'm Wes, by the way."

"Oh, ok," she said, "I'm Serena. My mom and I just moved here. I heard that they completely redesigned this town after this house burned down. Doesn't it look so cute now?"

"Yeah," I admitted, "It really does."

Ashes. That was all that was left of this house. Ashes, covered by the foundation of a cute, inviting new town. Celosia's actions had led to the construction of a great new Vaniville Town, another bit of good that her actions had done. And now, all that I had left of her was ashes, too. The ashes that the Ultimate Weapon's energy had burned her away into, the ashes that had blown away on the wind, billowing like some kind of victory flag.

"Are you okay?" asked Serena, "You look really sad."

"I—I just lost my sister," I admitted, "I didn't really know her that well, so I came here to see if I could, I don't know, connect? Remember something? She was a hero…"

"Oh. I'm so sorry," she said, awkwardly shifting her purse around.

"So, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm supposed to go to Aquacorde town to get my first Pokemon. Professor Sycamore has apparently picked a group of kids to do some project for him, and I'm one of them. I think it's just because my mom's famous, though."

"Ok," I said, "I'm just about to compete in the League Tournament."

"You went on a journey? How was it?" Serena asked excitedly.

"It was…"

Liz, Dominic, Caen, Evelyn, Sycamore, Chandler, Aliana, Celosia, Lysandre, the Gym Leaders…

Bagon, Axew, Charmander, Mareep, Trapinch, Goomy, Zygarde…

I had experienced so much, and met so many different people and Pokemon.

"…Good."

"So, sorry if this is sensitive, but you said your sister was a hero?" Serena's voice was hesitant but curious.

"Yeah," I said, "She gave her life to stop Flare. I don't know if you've heard of them, but they were trying to bomb the entire world with an ancient weapon."

"Oh, Flare," she said, "My mom almost didn't let me go on a journey when she heard about what they were doing. Well, I'm certainly grateful for what your sister did."

"Yeah, me too." I didn't tell her that my sister had been a part of Flare. There was still a splinter faction of Flare, run by Bryony and Xerosic, causing trouble around Kalos. Maybe Serena would run into them on her journey. I really hoped she didn't.

"Well, bye Serena," I said, "Good luck on your journey."

She smiled, wished me good luck at the League, and walked North.

I looked at the house one last time. I still didn't remember anything except my nightmares. Everything that Celosia had tried to save me from was buried underneath the new house. Celosia, had, I guess, completely succeeded.

I sent out Salamence and flew away, looking at the house one last time from the air.

The sunlight sparkled off the clear blue water, tracing wavy patterns of light across my skin.

I swung the shovel and felt the shock of it hitting the stone floor reverberate up my arms to my shoulders. Goodra took a turn, striking the ground with Dragonbreath. Flygon stepped in and used her Earth Power, erupting the ground in a small inferno.

White stones surrounded me on all sides. I saw a name. _Oakenheart. _I recognized the picture of a Scrafty, Lapras, and Zangoose. I stole a quick look at Dominic, who was standing at the entrance with Liz, Caen, and Evelyn.

Finally I stopped stalling and clutched the Pokeball one last time, bowing my head and touching my forehead to it.

Goodbye, Charizard. I'll miss you.

I put the Pokeball in the ground and nodded at my five Pokemon and Zygarde, who had decided to join me.

The man stepped forward with his Claydol, ready to faster a tombstone, but Zygarde motioned something that I understood.

"No," I said to him, holding up a hand. "Wait."

Zygarde raised its head upward and glowing patterns flashed along the scales on its body while its crests extended powerfully.

Something indescribably beautiful took shape, rising from the ground in the middle of the circle of me and my Pokemon. Twisting spires of impossible thin rock wove a beautiful structure and on top of that, a tiny sculpture appeared. A young man, a sculpture made of rock, was looking upward and spreading his arms, and a sculpture of a Charizard, suspended by impossibly thin lines of stone, was staring above, her wings captured in a silent, unending beat that would end the brief time she has spent in his life, like a messenger for powers beyond his understanding, returning to where she had come from.

"Thank you," I said to Zygarde.

The old man drew the white hood of his simple garment up over his head and nodded in approval.

I looked at the tombstone, the sculpture created by a legend. I missed Charizard, and the pain of having my team, this family I had built myself, ripped apart, had threatened to swallow me back in Kiloude City. I would keep missing her, but I had made sure that we succeeded, and the task she had died for, shutting down the Ultimate Weapon, had been completed. The wound of missing Charizard would always be there, and maybe someday it would grow into a yawning chasm that would swallow me up- I don't think I could stand losing someone else- but now, at this moment, I was fine.

"It's beautiful," said Evelyn, looking at the tombstone. I nodded.

Everyone hugged me, telling me things like the fact that they were sorry. I held Evelyn for longer than I did the others.

Finally, I walked out of the Den of Spirits with my friends, and the shadow on my face slid away to be replaced with the bright, hot light of the seashore sun on a cloudless day.

The legendary Pokemon beside me looked at me and somehow communicated a feeling to me.

"Are you sure?" I asked. I had kind of been looking forward to battling alongside my legendary ally in the League.

Zygarde's scales flashed a regretful affirmative.

"Goodbye, then," I said, bowing to it one last time.

Zygarde bowed to me as well, and was gone. I looked back into the Den of Spirits, at Charizard's spiraling tombstone. I didn't know what I was supposed to think. I said goodbye again in my mind.

"So, what's next?" asked Liz, "Training for the League?"

Evelyn, Dominic, and Caen glared at her for not respecting the fact that I had just buried a Pokemon, but I was oddly okay.

"Sure," I said, "But I have something to do first."

Right after the Ultimate Weapon had shut down, I had sat on the crystal, shocked, watching as the wave of green and gold energy exploded outward and washed over me.

Celosia had just saved me? I had heard the sound of a Froslass, which I guessed was hers, and the sounds of someone climbing the weapon after me, but still, I hadn't expected her.

I looked at the crystal flower, the engine of death that I had been about to give my life to stop. Now, it was nothing. Completely shut down. My bag was on the ground below, with my five active Pokeballs and the one that had contained Charizard. I was holding something now, but it wasn't the shutdown key. Celosia had taken that from me, and I looked over. It was there, in the middle of the Ultimate Weapon, glowing with orange light that emphasized the black and red, angular flower design on its surface. I stashed the three Pokeballs that Celosia had placed on the crystal surface of the weapon beside me into my pockets and walked to the center of the weapon. I picked the shutdown key up almost as a keepsake. I climbed down from the ultimate weapon, my feet hitting the ground of the ruined Geosenge Town below.

Evelyn walked over to me. Evelyn. We had just kissed, right? I smiled despite myself. I had wanted to do that for a while, but I had been too focused on my journey and afraid that it would make things awkward. Now though, although I was a little nervous, I was excited.

However, Evelyn hadn't been thinking about the same things I had. "Wasn't that the woman who attacked us in Celebi's clearing? The one you fought on the train? Celosia, right? What just happened?"

What should I say? That a high-ranking member of Flare had just turned on her organization? That my entire family was now dead?

"Yeah, it was her," I confirmed, "She took the shutdown key from me and used it."

Evelyn asked another question. "Why?"

All I could do was stand there, with the three Pokeballs I had been handed put away in my pockets, and look at the people and Pokemon, the ones Celosia had saved.

I landed on the refreshingly warm and familiar shore, feeling the almost uncomfortably hot, salty breeze hit me in the face. This was a nice change from cold, eastern Kalos.

Salamence nuzzled me, almost knocking me over due to his size. I recognized that he had landed here, the place wet met. How long ago had that been?

I laughed and petted his head. He was so huge and confident now, a far cry from the tiny, scared, savage Bagon I had met here.

"Remember that place?" I asked as he followed my gaze toward the Wards' Home. I had hidden him for a week there before Liz found us on the beach and my journey sort of began. The building looked so small now.

I walked across the beach to the rock shelf that most of town was built on and shook my shoes free of the clinging, slightly wet sand.

I knocked on the door of the Wards' Home. It was the middle of the day, and all of the wards were gone at school. Madame Amedee bustled to the door, her apron even more patched than when I had left.

"Wes!" she exclaimed, hugging me, and making a squeak of surprise at the Salamence standing beside me. I returned my huge Dragon and went along as she hurried me inside.

She asked me all about my journey, and I told her about it, a little. She mentioned that she had seen Lysandre's threat when she had been in town, shopping for dinner a few days ago and had started to worry about me, especially when she had heard worse things on the news and seen the flashes of light to the north.

I promised her that I was safe, not going into too much detail about how involved I had been with those events. I still didn't want her to worry.

"There is something different about you," she insisted, placing food in front of me and ignoring me when I tried to refuse, "Something happened."

"I'm fine," I reassured, trying to politely refuse the food again. I knew how little she had around here, and I didn't want to eat the food here when I could buy some myself and leave this for the others.

"Wes, I've known you for a long time," she said. Yes, she had. Ever since Celosia saved me—saved me, that was how I was going to think of it—from my parents. She sat down in the creaking chair on the other side of the table where she had kindly forced me to sit and stared at me, as if trying to see something in my eyes. "Something about you has healed, but something has gotten more dangerous. Are you sure you're all right?"

That didn't sound good, but it was Madame Amedee, and she always worried. I promised her again that I was fine, and then finally brought up the matter I had come here for.

I set the money on the table in front of me.

"No, I can't possibly take this," she said, sliding it back toward me.

I frowned and slid it back toward her, insisting.

"No," she said again, "You earned this on your journey. It's yours." She was right. This a part of the prize money I had gained. But I had always planned on giving a fraction of it back to the place and the woman that had raised me.

"You need it here," I countered, "At least buy a heater for the little ones' room. I'm guessing that you haven't been able to fix it yet?"

She wasn't able to argue against that, but still refused to accept the money. I thought of a different way to give it to her, and pretended to accept defeat, picking up her Litleo and petting it.

"You've grown," she said as I put the money back in my bag, which was the same one that I had brought from here, my old school backpack. "Even in just a few months, you've grown up." However, there was some concern in her eyes that seemed different from her typical worry.

I got up to leave and said goodbye to her again. She said that I could stop by whenever I wanted, and to be careful. I left, bought another bag in a store, and left my old one in front of the Wards' Home, with a quarter of my winnings in it. I knew that after stubbornly refusing to use it for a little while, she would finally give in after something else broke.

Now I just had to convince Evelyn to challenge Ramos, figure out exactly what was going on between us, decide what to do with the Pokemon Celosia had given me, and train for the Pokemon League Tournament.

A little Pokemon flopped into my way. For some reason, maybe because it reminded me of Goomy, I caught it. I would have to do some training with it if I was going to fight with it in the League, though.

With Flare out of the way, I could go back to enjoying my own Pokemon journey and dealing with the challenges that it presented. Despite what I had just done and what waited for me, I breathed a sigh of relief.


	44. Chapter 44: Leaders

Chapter 44

* * *

><p>"Coumarine Gym Leader, Ramos! His apprentice and a Master Grass Pokemon Trainer, Evelyn! Their battle will decide the fate of the Coumarine City Gym!" I shouted in a deep, dramatic voice.<p>

"Really, Wes?" asked Evelyn, giving me an unimpressed look.

"Just trying to make it interesting," I said with a smile. I had been smiling nonstop since our date last night, when we had eaten dinner in a café by Lumiose City's grand canal and watched the stars together.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and Goodra cracked up beside me.

"The battle will be six on six, and both Trainers can substitute their Pokemon! Evelyn versus Ramos! Begin!"

"I've known yeh were tough since yeh took me on here three years ago. Now, it's time to shown me what yeh can really do!" challenged Ramos, "Leavanny, lend me yer strength!"

"Go, Ferrothorn!" said Evelyn.

Ramos' elegant, green Bug Pokemon stood with its glimmering blades, facing the rugged, metal Pokemon that was clamped into the ground with its thorny arms. The sunlight filtered through the canopy of the tree statue that Ramos had created, setting the mood for the battle.

"Leavanny versus Ferrothorn!" I called, "First round! Begin!"

I was refereeing this match, though I didn't really expect to be doing much. Battles happened without referees all the time, but since Evelyn had asked me to I was doing it. I had tried to give her a pep talk before the battle, reminding her of all her hard work and training on her journey, going over her battle with Wulfric, encouraging her and letting her know that I believed she could do it. It was nice to just be helping her reach her dream now. It gave me something to do, and took my mind off of how much I missed Charizard.

"Stealth Rock!" called Evelyn, leading with the same move she always did. However, Ramos was ready for it.

"Bein' too predictable can be a huge weakness, yeh know," he warned, "Leavanny, Magic Coat!"

Leavanny spun its bladed arms, creating a solid wall of force that reflected the dangerous entry hazards back onto Evelyn's side of the field.

"Not good," said Evelyn. Her face still looked beautiful even when she was nervous. "Ferrothorn, take a rest. Alright, Tropius, it's you!"

"Evelyn substitutes her Pokemon," I ruled, "Leavanny versus Tropius."

Her Grass and Flying Pokemon, the one she was usually soaring through the sky on beside me and Charizard—now Salamence, I thought with a small pang of loss—, took shape in the circle of light in front of Evelyn. The Pokeball ricocheted backwards with the force it created and Evelyn caught it gracefully and put it on the side of her belt. She kept her Pokeballs organized by their position on her belt the same way I did with the pockets on my cargo pants.

A Flying type. Tropius obviously had the advantage over Leavanny, but he was hurt by the Stealth Rock, wincing as the spikes of stone dug into the brown skin on his legs.

"Leavanny, use yer Electroweb!" shouted Ramos.

I didn't expect a Pokemon like Leavanny to be able to use an electric move, but I guessed it would be useful, as a lot of opponents probably fought with Flying Pokemon.

"Take off! Avoid it!" called Evelyn.

Tropius bent its legs and forcefully pushed off the ground, soaring over the electrified web as it plummeted uselessly off of the battlefield.

"Defog!"

Tropius fanned his wings, and the wind swept across the battlefield, ruffling through my hair and forcing Ramos to grab at his hat. Tropius's move blasted the Stealth Rock away, clearing the hazards from Evelyn's side of the field.

"Slash!" called Ramos.

"Fly!" countered Evelyn.

Tropius took the slashing blow from Leavanny and then launched himself higher into the sky and slammed into Leavanny. Leavanny crumpled, defeated.

"Good work, Leavanny," said Ramos, "Yer up next, Victreebel!"

"Tropius versus Victreebel" I called, "Begin!"

* * *

><p>Evelyn shifted the Pokeball to scan mode, and threw it, waist deep in the withered grass. The Pokemon, Phantump, weakened by Sceptile's Dragon Claw, watched the incoming ball.<p>

Evelyn and I were on Melancolie Path, a route north of Lumiose City and honestly too close to the Lost Hotel for comfort. I had told Evelyn that now was the time to challenge Ramos, and that I knew she could win, but she had doubted herself and insisted that she needed another Pokemon first.

The Phantump was hit by the Pokeball, wrapped by threads of light. Its wispy body, decorated with a small mask of wood from which two innocent eyes stared out, dissolved into the capsule.

The Pokeball rocked a few times, and then clicked brightly with sparks.

"You can beat him," I told her, relaxing on one of the route's gentle hills and watching, "The battle is six on six anyway. You don't need a seventh Pokemon."

"No I can't," she said, "I need a lot more training. But anyway, since his Pokemon will all be Grass types, I'm not going to use Ludicolo. All of my Pokemon need to resist Grass attacks."

I nodded. That was a good strategic decision. But still, she was doubting herself too much. She seemed to always be alternating between being overconfident, like when she had urged us to attack the Power Plant and talked about changing history, and being less confident than she should, like when she argued against fighting Flare in Lumiose City and the way she didn't think that she could defeat Ramos.

"Nice catch," I said, watching as she picked up the Pokeball containing her new Phantump.

* * *

><p>"Now! Use yer Venoshock!" shouted Ramos.<p>

Tropius, already weakened by the poison, fainted.

"Ferrothorn, you're up!" called Evelyn.

"Victreebel versus Ferrothorn!" I called. That was a smart move on Evelyn's part. Ferrothorn's immunity to Toxic and Venoshock gave the Grass and Steel Pokemon a slight advantage.

"Iron Head!" called Evelyn.

Ferrothorn used its spiky arms to swing itself full-force into Victreebel. The move, combined with the earlier damage Victreebel had taken from its fight with Tropius, knocked out Ramos's second Pokemon.

"Carnivine," shouted Ramos.

"Ferrothorn versus Carnivine," I called.

"Stealth Rock!" called Evelyn, and finally, the entry hazards were up on Ramos's side.

"Carnivine, Grass Whistle," instructed Ramos.

Evelyn called a move, but it was useless since Ferrothorn was asleep.

"Swords Dance!" shouted Ramos.

Carnivine roared, while its fangs glistened and elongated with power.

"Now Crunch!" Ramos called, and Carnivine bit down on Ferrothorn. "Again!"

Carnivine kept attacking, and eventually the boosted move knocked out Ferrothorn. Evelyn returned her defeated Pokemon and sent out Serperior.

"Serperior versus Carnivine!" I ruled.

"Serperior, Hyper Beam!" Evelyn shouted.

The yellow markings on Serperior's back glowed with power, and an orb of darkness took shape in front of the Pokemon's mouth. The orb of glowing, liquid darkness exploded into a flood in Carnivine's direction, soaking Ramos's Pokemon in pure, overwhelming force.

Carnivine fainted, and Ramos sent in his Amoongus.

Another Pokemon had just fainted. This battle was moving fast, though it seemed pretty balanced.

"Ramos sends in his next Pokemon! Amoongus versus Serperior!" Evelyn called.

"Ingrain," said Ramos, "Get yerself set up."

Evelyn waited while Serperior slowly gained her strength back, exhausted from the Hyper Beam. Amoongus used the chance to extend glowing paths of power into the ground, which began restoring health to Ramos's Pokemon incrementally.

"Toxic now," said Ramos.

Amoongus sprayed poisonous mist all over Serperior. I winced, remembering the time I had spent poisoned after Drapion's attack in Glittering Cave. Since then, I had hated to see Pokemon poisoned, and always carried a few Antidotes and Full Heals in my bag. Now, that same Drapion was in its Pokeball in my pocket.

"Serperior, Calm Mind!" called Evelyn.

Serperior closed her eyes and focused, her yellow patterns glowing once again.

"Clear Smog!" instructed Ramos.

Amoongus blew the icy clear gas onto Serperior, making the Calm Mind useless.

Serperior glared ahead angrily, continuing to be worn down by the Toxic.

Evelyn called a Hyper Beam, but Ramos and Amoongus blocked with Protect. Amoongus continued to block Serperior's attacks and chip away with Clear Smog. Eventually, it was too much for Serperior, and Evelyn returned the defeated Pokemon and sent out Sceptile.

* * *

><p>"Froslass, Blizzard!" I called. It was the same move Celosia had called who knows how many times. The Froslass obeyed me, just like Drapion and Manectric did now. I didn't know if Celosia had told them to listen to me, but they seemed very happy to. I had some mixed emotions battling with them, but since it was probably what Celosia wanted and the three Pokemon seemed to enjoy battling by my side.<p>

We were at the Pokemon League building, training outside. I was working with the three Pokemon Celosia had left me, as well as the new one I had just caught in Cyllage City, while Evelyn was training Phantump.

"I think she'll evolve soon!" Evelyn said.

"So, after training today, do you want to fly to Lumiose and eat dinner by the canal?" I asked. I thought it would be a good place to go for a date, especially since Evelyn and I had been training together more than dating. I wanted there to be a little less ambiguity.

"Not today," she said, "I have to do more training. Maybe later."

"Come on," I said, "You're already ready. You can take a night off."

"I need some more training," she insisted.

"I'm asking you out," I clarified, "On an actual date."

She looked at me, completely conflicted. Sceptile battled Phantump behind her, although the more experienced member of Evelyn's team was holding back, allowing the new recruit to train harder.

"Are you rejecting me?" I asked. I thought that she would have accepted. "What was that kiss, then?"

"I…um…" she said. Behind her, Phantump knocked out Sceptile and started to glow with rings of force, evolving quickly. I thought Phantump evolved a different way, but it didn't really matter now, since I was more concerned about Evelyn.

I realized something. Whenever she believed in something too strongly, or wanted it too badly, she got really nervous and lost her confidence. I thought of that time on the flight to Kiloude City, when we were about to meet Celebi, and she had at first believed wholeheartedly in changing the past and shaping a better future, but then started to doubt the time travel Pokemon's existence entirely.

Honestly, I really wanted to be her boyfriend. She was beautiful, determined, and we had traveled across the land and saved the world together. But I didn't want to pressure her into anything.

"It's okay if you don't want to go," I said, "But if you do, there's nothing you can do that can possibly ruin it. I just like being around you. Honestly, I'm more worried about screwing this up myself." Celosia's Manectric made a noise, but I wasn't going to pay attention to it right now.

Evelyn looked back at me, reassured now. "Alright," she said, "I'll go on a date with you tonight."

I smiled. I had finally found something great, something that would be an even better goal than winning the League. I was probably grinning like an idiot right then, as Evelyn's newly evolved Pokemon tapped her on the shoulder and made us both jump.

* * *

><p>"Knock it out with Acrobatics!" Ramos called.<p>

Jumpluff swooped down, dancing along and smashing elegantly into Chesnaught's armored form. The extremely effective move knocked out Chesnaught, even as Evelyn's Pokemon struggled and failed to create a Spiky Shield to block the move.

"Alright," said Evelyn, looking a little nervous, "Trevenant! I'm counting on you!"

"Evelyn sends out her last Pokemon! Trevenant versus Jumpluff!" I called.

I was getting nervous, too. Evelyn had only caught Trevenant recently, and she was Evelyn's only remaining Pokemon. Jumpluff was weakened by the damage it had taken from the Stealth Rock, but it was still packing a super effective Flying move.

"Acrobatics!" called Ramos, wasting no time in targeting said weakness.

"No!" shouted Evelyn, "Don't let it hit! Rock Slide!" I was really thankful that Caen had shared his TMs with Evelyn before the battle, because this move would be very useful against a Flying Pokemon like Jumpluff. Jumpluff had knocked out Sceptile and Chesnaught, and I didn't want it to keep its streak going.

Trevenant's single, glowing eye tracked the incoming shape of Jumpluff, and Trevenant spread her arms wide, calling down a cascade of rocks that knocked out Jumpluff right before it could attack.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding and grinned at Evelyn, who was obviously as relieved as me. This battle wasn't going to be easy, but I still believed that she could do it.

"Gogoat!" called Ramos, sending in his last Pokemon, "Let's finish this! We're defending our title here!"

"Gogoat versus Trevenant!" I called, "Both trainers are fighting with their final Pokemon.

Gogoat stared at Trevenant and Evelyn and its eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Aerial Ace!" called Ramos.

"Poison Jab!" countered Evelyn.

Both of them had obviously taught their Pokemon those moves just for this all-Grass battle.

Gogoat dealt its move to Trevenant, leaving Evelyn's Pokemon severely weakened, but opening itself up to Trevenant's counterattack. Trevenant's claws glowed and bubbled with a bright violet aura of poison and she slashed and pounded Gogoat with the move.

Gogoat came away looking damaged as well, and both trainers called for recovery moves.

"Rest, Trevenant," said Evelyn calmly.

Her Pokemon ate the berry she was holding and fell asleep, closing her glowing eye and regaining health. The Lum Berry she had just eaten woke her up a few seconds later.

"Use your ability," Evelyn prompted, deciding to use the strategy for massive recovery she had created.

Trevenant's eye glowed with power and Lum Berry trees grew all around her. She gathered a few and waited, ready to rest again if she needed to.

Meanwhile, Ramos's Gogoat also began to use restorative moves.

"Milk Drink!" Ramos called, "Then use yer Grassy Terrain!"

Gogoat restored its health with Milk Drink, and then closed its eyes and focused. A sheet of perfectly pristine grass spread from where its legs touched the ground, stretching out to cover the whole battlefield. The terrain began to heal Gogoat even more.

Ramos and Evelyn fought even harder after that, their Pokemon attacking quickly and then retreating to restore health. Eventually, Trevenant proved to be able to recover more health than Gogoat, and scored a critical hit that bypassed even Gogoat's boosted defense.

Gogoat fainted, and as it fell to the ground the grassy terrain swooped back to under Ramos's Pokemon like a verdant shadow.

Trevenant made a creaking cry and the poisonous power on her claws dissipated. Evelyn ran up to hug her newest Pokemon, and the Grass and Ghost Pokemon's eye narrowed with its invisible smile.

Ramos returned his Gogoat and grinned proudly at Evelyn.

"Evelyn wins the battle!" I called.

Evelyn ran over to me next, and we hugged and then I kissed her in congratulations. Ramos cleared his throat loudly and we broke apart, embarrassed.

"Well, sprout," said Ramos, quickly hugging her and then ruffling her hair, "Yeh did it. A true friendship with Pokemon takes time, and yeh've mastered it. I would be honored to name you the next Leader of the Coumarine City Gym.

Evelyn smiled, obviously struggling to contain her excitement. Evelyn—my girlfriend, now—had just made her dream come true.

"So, what do yeh want to do? Do yeh want to take over as Gym Leader right away?" asked Ramos.

"No," she said, "The League Tournament starts in two days, and I want to be there to watch it. After that, let's discuss when I take over the Gym."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Ramos, beaming with pride. "I knew yeh could do it from the moment you challenged me for the first time. I'm so proud of yeh, Evelyn."

Evelyn and I walked down the tree. I congratulated her on her great battle and achieving her dream. I smiled again. Now I had a Gym Leader for a girlfriend.

"I like it when you smile," said Evelyn as we got to the base of the marble statue that was the Coumarine City Gym. I laughed gently and accepted the compliment, still feeling great for her.

At that moment, I was happy.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: So Wes and Evelyn are a couple (finally), and she has accomplished her goal and beaten Ramos. Up next is the Pokemon League. Is Wes going to win? And even if he does, can he beat the Elite Four and Champion? If you've read this far, 150000 words in, then I love you and you're amazing. Review please! <strong>


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